Inflamed
by livelaughlovenarnia
Summary: Survival of Heroes Series, Book 2. Growing up, the youngest child of Laurel, Paige Fawley, had always been fascinated by her mother's tales of going on adventures in another world, in a country called Narnia. Wishing she could have an adventure of her own, Fate decided to grant her just that. Full summary inside.
1. Summary

Survival of Heroes Series, Book 2 ❝Calling out father oh prepare as we will watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side, desolation comes upon the sky.❞ – "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran

21 years after Peter's death, Laurel Collins, now Laurel Fawley, finds herself settled down in the English countryside with a great husband, four kids, and a job. Growing up, the youngest child of Laurel, Paige Fawley, had always been fascinated by her mother's tales of going on adventures in another world, in a country called Narnia.

Wishing she could have an adventure of her own, Fate decided to grant her just that. Winding up in Middle-Earth seven years later, a world she's never heard of, was the least of Paige's expectations. And being dragged into a dangerous quest was not part of her plan. Neither was liking the Mirkwood Elf Prince through the turmoil events. Gorgeous cover by _imagine_fantasy_


	2. 1- Courage

**Hello! Welcome to Inflamed, Book 2 of my Survival of Heroes Series.** **Now, I know that this is not related to Narnia and isn't in the crossover, but Laurel becomes a recurring character and talks about it, so I'm just gonna roll with it.** **And if you remember, Flawed was 109 parts, so of course this book is no better. ;) Lol sorry.**

 **Below is a few things you may want to know before reading the chapter. Tell me what you think in the comments. I love to read your opinions** **and thought** **. If you have song suggestions for any of the chapters feel free to tell me! Enjoy!**

 **\- This is a crossover fanfic with Harry Potter (post DH) and The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings.**

 **\- This is the sequel to 'Flawed'. But you don't** ** _have_** **to read the first one. I would advise you to, but it's not** **expected** **. Note that this is a several-book series.**

 **\- Disclaimer: I DO NOT own** ** _Harry Pottter_** **or** ** _The Hobbit_** **or** ** _The Lord of the Rings_** **or** ** _The Chronicles of Narnia_** **, for that matter. They belong to the amazing authors J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis.**

 **\- I DO own any OCs including: The Fawley family, any named creatures not mentioned in any story, etc. I will add to this as I update.**

 **\- It is futuristic. 2050 is the year I've chosen it to be. (Just for age reasons, which I'll get into later.)**

 **\- I will try to incorporate as many said lines in the movies as possible. Of course my OC(s) needs to talk so there will be some changes.**

 **S** **o sorry that it took so long for me to start posting. I've been a lot busier than I thought I was gonna be. :/ Also, no chapter inspirations this time because it's really hard.**

I eyed my distance from the jump and got ready for it. I signaled my horse and two-pointed, clearing the jump. I breathed a sigh of relief and slowed my horse down to a walk. My mum, who was leaning against the fence, grinned. "Very nice, Paige! You kept your elbows in that time." I rounded the corner and dropped the stick that was posing as my sword.

"It's easier bareback." I stated, getting my horse to canter again. As I raced past my mum, she called, "Yes, but if you were in a real situation, a war or a battle, you'd be riding _with_ a saddle!" As I cleared the next jump, I shouted back, "Whatever!" She chuckled and pushed off the fence, heading towards the archery range.

My mum was a very special person. Her name was Laurel Collins―now Fawley―and she was Harry Potter's sister. Not only that, she wore a necklace that gave her extra, incredible powers. She had also been to another world called Narnia and went on the most amazing adventures there. When my siblings and I were young, she had told us, including our dad, the most wonderful stories. If she hadn't been able to show us her memories, a power of hers, none of us would have admittedly believed her.

We kids loved her stories so much that we had begged her to train us like she had when she was a General of Narnia. She went easy on us when we were younger, but pushed us when we got older. By our early teens, each of us were highly skiled at swordfighting, archery, knife-throwing, and horseback riding.

I dismounted my horse, Robin, and picked up my "sword", walking out of the arena. Quickly, I hosed my horse down and sent him into the pasture to graze. I grimaced, seeing horse hair sticking to my legs. "I think you missed a spot when you shaved." A voice drawled teasingly. I turned around and scowled at my older brother Josh.

He sat on a stack of hay, twirling his wand in his left hand. "You're hilarious." I snapped, grabbing my bow and quiver from the weapons wall. Josh smirked at me and hopped down, following me to the archery range. "Three sickels says that you can't get three bull's eyes in a row." I cocked an eyebrow at him and pulled an arrow from my quiver, nocking it. "You're on."

Mum, who was practicing her own archery, eyed us with amusement. "Better be careful, Josh. Your sister is becoming quite good, almost as good as Aunt Susan." My brother rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Let's see then." Mum winked at me and I tried to feel confident. I pulled my bow string back to my lip, aiming.

Taking a deep breath, I let it fly. Bull's eye. I smirked at Josh, who was shifting anxiously. _One down, two to go_. I grabbed another arrow and aimed. Another bull's eye. As I pulled out another one, I looked over at my brother. "You sure you want to go through with this?" He nodded confidently, but in his eyes there was uncertainty. I stared at the target intently, trying to figure out where to put the last arrow.

I bit my lip, seeing a good place, but it was risky. One false move and it'd be on the ring or just under it. I took a shaky breath and released. I held my breath, watching as the arrow sunk cleanly into the target. Bull's eye. I broke into a grin, smiling triumphantly at Josh, who wore a sour expression. "My sickels?"

He grumbled darkly underneath his breath and dug into his pocket, pulling out my prize. I accepted the money with a cheeky grin and went to collect my arrows. Josh turned and stormed away, muttering to himself. "Don't worry about him. He's just mad because he wasn't right." Mum consoled, pulling her own arrows out of the target. I smiled. "I know, Mum. I think I'm going to go clean up." She nodded and watched as I walked back to the house.

After taking a shower, I wandered downstairs to find my whole family bustling around the kitchen. Mum and Tessa were cooking, Peter and Josh were setting the table, and Dad was reading over his latest piece at his spot at the table, unaware of everyone else. With magic, we were all sitting down together eating ten minutes later. We all chattered amongst ourselves, Mum asking everyone questions and such.

Though I participated, I felt a little fidgety, wanting to get away. Tessa, beside me, raised an eyebrow at me at one point, her blue eyes analyzing me. I glared at her, chewing. My sister pursed her lips and returned to her food. After finishing up my food, I stood up and casted a charm mentally for my dishes to start washing themselves. "I'm going for a ride." I announced, starting for my bedroom to change. Peter frowned slightly. "I'll join you." I repressed a scowl, my mouth a taut line. I really wanted to be alone at that moment, a lot of things I needed to sort through in my head. His smothering wouldn't help. "That's alright, I'll be fine. I won't be gone long."

Mum nodded thoughtfully, her mind seeming to be elsewhere. "Okay, just be back before nightfall. And don't forget to arm yourself. Just as a precaution." I smiled slightly and rushed to my room, eager to get into the woods.

I changed into an olive long-sleeved shirt, black riding pants, black paddock boots, and a gray jacket. Even though it was July, the woods could be pretty chilly at night. As I walked out the door, I sent my family a half-smile, going tack up Robin.

I mounted Robin and shoved my feet in the stirrups, heels downward. My bow and quiver were strapped to my back, a sword at my side, and seven knives placed strategically all over my body. Now this was a lot of weapons, probably more than I needed, but sometimes I liked to practice in the forest. I signaled my horse and cantered off into the woods.

The wind swirled around me, tusseling my hair. Scowling, I set my reins down Robin's neck, using leg pressure to stay on and steer, pulling my hair back in a ponytail. A fallen log was ahead and I grabbed the reins before two-pointing, jumping over it. I patted my horse, slowly down to a trot to give him a rest. I sat the trot, barely noticing the uncomfortableness. A twig snapped somewhere around us and I shot up straight in my seat, one hand going to a knife on my calf.

Truthfully, I was really easily paranoid and had an overactive imagination, but it allowed me to react quickly. I twirled the sharp object around in my hand, a habit I picked up from my eldest brother Peter. Robin shifted uneasily, snorting. I patted his neck, trying to soothe him.

Suddenly, he whinnied, bucking me off of him. This wasn't my first time getting bucked off, but I had never been caught of guard like this before. I groaned, my head aching as it hit a tree root hard. Before I knew what was happening, I blacked out.


	3. 2- Not in England

When I came to, my head was pounding. I grimaced, holding my hand to it. I pulled my fingers away to find blood sticking to them. _Fantastic. I better not have a concussion_. I stood up, leaning against a tree heavily. I blinked a few times and looked around for Robin. I stumbled around the general area, black spots forming in my vision, trying to find my friend. When I couldn't find him, I groaned, realizing that he probably went back home.

It occured to me then that it was late and Mum and Dad would be worried about me. Peter was never going to let me out of his sight again. I grabbed my bag from off the ground and stumbled forward, trying to make my way home. Something wasn't right here. I took a good look around and realized that I wasn't in the forest I knew and loved anymore. It sounded crazy, but I knew I was right.

Fumbling, I pulled my wand out and whispered, " _Lumos_." The tip of my wand lit up and I held it out, trying to navigate. _Maybe it only looks different to me because I hit my head. That makes sense._ As I continued to stumble, my doubts started to overwhelm me. _This is insane. I'm not in the same forest as the one back home. Face it, I'm horribly lost. I've been in there at night and it looks_ nothing _like this forest. Where am I?_

Panic weighed heavily on my chest. I didn't know what to do or how to find a way back. _Think, Paige! Think! What would Mum do?_ I started to hypervenilate, which made my logic fuzzy. I swore loudly, my head starting to pound. I heard heavy footsteps and started. _What the hell was that?_

I listened closely, trying to figure out anything I could on the walker. After several seconds, I figured out that there were in fact three sets of footsteps and from heaviness of the steps that they were each very large. I gulped, looking around for a place to hide. However, I wasn't quick enough, becuase I was discovered.

"You smell that? Man flesh!" One crowed. I tensed at their words. Man flesh? That was a giveaway that they weren't human. "Mmm it'd go great with this horse, ain't it?" Another said. "Better than 'orse, I say." The third one agreed. I gulped hard. _Great, they are planning to cook me._ I looked around for a hiding place in a last, desperate attempt.

Just when I found one, I heard footsteps coming my way. Impulsively, I tried to make a break for it. "Hey! It's tryin' to get away!" One of the creatures wailed. Another shoved its way around the other, snarling, "I'll get it." I thought I was going to make it, but the black spots and the darkness caused me to trip.

A large hand picked me up, clenching me in their fist. I blinked my eyes a couple times, taking in the ugly features of my capturer. It was a Troll. My heart was pounding in my chest as the Troll took me back to its camp. Surreptitiously, I slid my weapons into my bag and Transfigured it into a ring. I slipped the ring on my finger and watched as two more Trolls came into view, my wand safely tucked away.

One was roping ponies into a small area. The other was standing by a pot that was over a fire. "You got it!" The one by the ponies shouted gleefully. The Troll by the pot grinned maliciously and nodded towards a pile of scraps. "Tie 'er up for now. We'll decide later how to cook 'er."

I gritted my teeth as I was tied up in a sack, my head the only thing not wrapped. My body felt like it was being squeezed by a boa constrictor, which did not help the blood flow through my body. One Troll sneezed into the pot and I grimaced at the unsanitary motion.

"Oh, that's lovely, that is; a floater." One Troll snapped sarcastically. "Oh, might improve the flavor." Another suggested. I started to gag, unnoticed by my captors. The one who sneezed put in, "Ah! There's more where that came from."

Sneezer (as I was now calling him) sneezed again. But Cook (the one who was doing the cooking, obviously) grabbed him by the nose and shoved him away. "Oh no you don't." Cook growled. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Sneezer squealed. ( **A/N: Just to make this easier I'm going to give you a key right now to tell you who is who. Just because Paige doesn't know their names doesn't mean I don't or you don't have to. :) Bert = Cook, William = Sneezer, Tom = Nicknameless...if that helps at all.** ) My eyes were drawn to a figure who was creeping by the Trolls, unnoticed.

I was nervous, wondering if they were friend or foe. "Sit down." Cook ordered. Sneezer sneezed yet again, but this time into a cloth. The figure slinked closer, making their way to the pony pen. They hid as Sneezer motioned towards the poor animals. "I hope you're gonna gut these nags. I don't like the stinky parts."

Cook hit Sneezer with his ladle, causing Sneezer to squeal. "I said sit down!" Cook ordered. Nicknameless sighed in impatience. "I'm starving! Are we 'aving horse and man flesh tonight or what?" I gulped as I was mentioned again. Cook grumbled, "Shut your cakehole. You'll eat what I give ya."

The figure came closer and in the firelight, I was able to see them. It was a little man, four feet tall or so. He looked determined and scared out of his wits. The ponies must belong to him. He came closer and knelt in front of me. I scooted away a bit, not sure what he was going to do to me. "Are you alright, miss?"

I looked at the little man increduously. "I am horribly lost and about to be dinner for Trolls. Do you think that I am alright?" I hissed. He raised his eybrows in agreement. "Well, I'm not going to let that happen..." "Paige Fawley." I answered, deciding to trust him. He nodded his head politely. "Well Miss Fawley, I'm not going to abandon you. Bilbo Baggins at your service."

I smiled smally. Bilbo looked at the Trolls quickly before trying to untie the knots they made to keep me trapped. He scowled, unable to untie them with his nimble fingers. He looked around, before spotting a sword on Sneezer's belt. "Wait right here." Bilbo told me, sneaking off to get the sword.

I snorted. Where else was I going to go? Nicknameless suddenly asked, still on the topic of Cook's food, "How come 'e's cook? Everything tastes the same. Everything tastes like chicken." "Except the chicken." Sneezer added. Nicknameless threw his hands in the air. "That tastes like fish!"

Cook sighed. "I'm just saying, a little appreciation would be nice. 'Thank you very much, Bert,' 'Lovely stew, Bert,'; how hard is that? Hmm, it just needs a sprinkle of squirrel dung." I would have felt a bit of sympathy for Cook―Bert―if he wasn't going to eat me.

As Sneezer grabbed a mug, Bert got mad again. He seemed to have no patience. "There, that's my grog." Sneezer shifted uneasily. "Uh, sorry." Bert smacked him with the ladle again, then taking the utensil and tasting the soup he was concocting. "Ooh, that is beautifully balanced, that is." he mused. Bert handed the ladle to Nicknameless and let him try it.

"Good, innit? Hehe. That's why I'm the cook." Bert grunted. I blinked a few times, focusing back on Bilbo. I found him right behind Sneezer, reaching for the sword. My mouth fell open as he almost got it, but Sneezer reached behind himself and scratched his butt. Bilbo leaned away, sporting a disgusted look.

Nicknameless wrinkled his nose. "Me guts are grumbling, I've got to snaffle something. Flesh I need, flesh!" Panic flared in me again. I had started hoping that they'd argue so much that I could make an escape if Bilbo couldn't get the sword. Sneezer looked like he was going to sneeze again and groped for his cloth, grabbing Bilbo by accident. He sneezed all over the poor little man.

 _Oh, shit. We're both dead._ Sneezer screamed, "Ah! Blimey! Bert! Bert! Look what's come out of me 'ooter! It's got arms and legs and everything." The other two Trolls gathered around Sneezer, inspecting Bilbo. "What is it?" Nicknameless asked. Sneezer shrugged. "I don't know, but I don't like the way it wriggles around!"

I grimaced as Sneezer started to shake Bilbo, accidentally dropping him to the ground. "What are you then? An oversized squirrel?" Nicknameless addressed Bilbo. "I'm a burglar―uh, Hobbit." I frowned. What was a Hobbit? Surely he was making it up. However, it did make me curious as to why none of them seemed to know what he was. They had known what I was the second they caught whiff of me yet they didn't know what to call him.

"A Burgla-Hobbit?" Sneezer repeated, confused. Nicknameless looked to Sneezer. "Can we cook 'im?" Sneezer shrugged enthusiastically. "We can try!" Bilbo ran when Sneezer reached out to grab him. Surprisingly, he made it past the first Troll, only to be cornered by Bert.

"He wouldn't make more than a mouthful, not when he's skinned and boned!" Bert announced, frowning. "Perhaps there's more Burglar-Hobbits around these parts. Might be enough for a pie." Nicknameless suggested.

Bilbo continued running, with Bert yelling, "Grab him!" His speed and agility amazed me, making me question whether he was human or not. "It's too quick!" Sneezer wailed. At one point, Bert tried to hit Bilbo with his ladle, only to hit Sneezer. I snickered, inching towards the edge of the woods. Eventually, Nicknameless grabbed Bilbo by the legs, holding him upside down.

"Come here, you little...Gotcha! Are there any more of you little fellas 'iding where you shouldn't?" he inquired. Bilbo shook his head. "Nope." Sneezer growled, "He's lying." "No I'm not!" Bilbo protested. Sneezer then suggested, "Hold his toes over the fire. Make him squeal."

I was about to make my escape when Bert, of course, saw me. "Hey! The little human is trying to escape!" My hopping sped up as I tried to get away, but I tripped and fell. Again. Bert picked me up and growled in my face. "You're not getting away that easily." I gulped as he stomped over the the pot, dangling me over it.

I looked over at Bilbo, who's expression held fear for me. I closed my eyes, fear pulsing through me, as I awaited to be dropped into the pot. Then, a rustling came from the bushes and a figure popped out, cutting Sneezer in the leg. The Troll fell down, howling in pain. "Drop them!" the figure commanded.

"You what?" Nicknameless growled. The man held his sword up, commanding with a reckless grin, "I said, drop them." In the firelight I could make out his features. He had longish, black-brown hair, brown eyes that held a gleam in them, stubble covering his face, and very odd clothing. To my surprise, Nicknameless and Bert threw the two of us on the ground, me landing in the dirt near the figure and Bilbo on top of him, causing both of them to collaspe.

Suddenly, many figures burst through the shrubbery, all armed and ready to fight the Trolls. I squirmed, inching away from the newcomers. They were obviously here for Bilbo, so I decided that they were friendly. But that didn't mean I was able to or wanted to join them in the fight. I watched from my spot as they fought the Trolls, everyone swift and highly-skilled. Their fighting and cohesiveness kind of left me in awe. I swear it was like watching an action movie.

I caught sight of Bilbo, grabbing Sneezer's sword and cutting the ponies loose. A Troll seemed to catch this as well, giving him the chance to snag Bilbo. Everyone stopped fighting, watching as two of the Trolls held the little man's arms and legs apart, showing that one tug could rip his limbs off. "Bilbo!" The man who came first cried, running to Bilbo's aid. Another man, who seemed to be the leader stopped him, telling his friend, "No!"

"Lay down your arms, or we'll rip his off." Nicknameless threatened. The leader of the group, I counted thirteen warriors in all including him, seemed to weigh the matter. He finally sighed, sticking his sword in the ground. The others reluctantly dropped their weapons, too. Cocking my head, I realized that they were quite short, too.

Bert looked around a bit, before his eyes found me. I sighed. "That damned man is tryin' to get away again!" The party looked to me, surprised. I didn't even bother trying to resist when Bert picked me up and dropped me down near the now-empty pony pen. The wind was knocked out of me when I hit the ground. I laid there, gasping for air, wondering what was going to happen to the valiant warriors.

I laid on the ground, now propped up on a rock, watching as the Trolls made quick work to tie five warriors to a spit over the fire and leaving the others tied up a few feet away from me. Sometimes, the scruffy man who led the charge, saving my life, looked over at me, as if he wanted to say something. I ignored them and tried to tune out the Trolls, who were now arguing over how to cook us.

"Don't bother cooking them. Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly." Sneezer suggested. Bert disagreed. "They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage." The man, sporting long dark hair and stubble, leaned over and whispered, "How long have you been stuck here?" I eyed him warily before replying, "Half an hour or so."

I looked away from him and to the men tied to the spit. "Ooh, that does sound quite nice." Sneezer said happily, in reply to Bert's idea. "Untie us, you monsters!" A man tied to the spit demanded. "Take on someone your own size!" I rolled my eyes and slumped down against the rock. We were so screwed, I didn't know why they bothered yelling insults, as if it would make any difference.

"Never mind the seasoning; we ain't got all night! Dawn ain't far away, so let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone." Nicknameless shouted over the other two Trolls. Bilbo wore an expression that suggested that he had an idea. He stood up and hopped over to the Trolls. "Wait! You are making a terrible mistake." He yelled up to them. "You can't reason with them, they're half-wits!" One of the men on the spit yelled. "Half-wits? What does that make us?" Another one of the spit-men asked.

"Uh, I meant with the, uh, with, uh, with the seasoning." Bilbo stuttered. Bert furrowed his eyebrows. "What about the seasoning?" Bilbo shuffled, trying not to fall over. "Well have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up."

Everyone started yelling at him, calling him a traitor and other things that were not very PG-friendly. I stayed silent, observing this plan of his. _These men are far too impulsive. Maybe they'd figure out that Bilbo was saying everything for a reason if they used their brains._ "What do you know about cooking Dwarf?" Nicknameless asked.

I frowned and looked over at the―Men? Dwarves?―and wondered just who they were. " _Dwarves_?" I asked them in a whisper. The guy I'd conversed with looked over at me and frowned. "Yes, _Dwarves_. Is there a problem with that, _Human_?" I frowned. "That's not what I meant. It's just that I've never met any Dwarves before." He raised his eyebrows at me before looking over at Bilbo, who was trying to save our skins, unbeknownst to the Dwarves.

"Shut up and let the, uh, flurgaburburahobbit talk." Bert demanded. Bilbo shot him a nervous smile and said, "Uh, th-the secret to cooking Dwarf is, um-" "Yes? Come on." Bert encouraged. "It's, uh-" Bilbo stuttered, trying to improvise. "Tell us the secret." Bert interrupted again. "Ye-yes, _I'm telling you_ , the secret is to...skin them first!"

The Dwarves protested again, causing me to roll my eyes. "Tom, get me the filleting knife." Bert grinned. I gulped. _Okay, so Bilbo's plan didn't work._ Now _we can panic._ "If I get you, you little-" One of the Dwarves threatened. Another one shouted, "I won't forget that!" Nicknameless, whom I was deeming the "smart" one, announced, "What a load of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scuff them, I say, boots and all."

Sneezer unfortunately agreed. "'e's right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw Dwarf! Nice and crunchy." He went and picked up a Dwarf with ginger braids, dangling him over his mouth.

"Not-not that one, he-he's infected!" Bilbo shouted. I sighed in relief. _There_ was a good alibi. Nicknameless frowned. "You what?" Bilbo nodded, seeming to formulate his next plan. "Yeah, He's got worms in his...tubes." I snickered quietly.

Sneezer threw the Dwarf back into the pile, disgusted. "In-in fact they all have, they're in-infested with parasites. It's a terrible business; I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't." Bilbo said, seeming to convince them more and more. "Parasites, did he say parasites?" One of the Dwarfs asked. "We don't have parasites! You have parasites!" The black-haired Dwarf shouted back at Bilbo. "What are you talking about, laddie?" Another mused.

I groaned and laid my head back against the rock. They were completely ruining Bilbo's plans. The leader looked from me to Bilbo and nudged the Dwarves. They looked over at him, catching his glance. Suddenly, they all started protesting, saying how they all were full of parasites. I rolled my eyes again, keeping my mouth shut.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm."

"Mine are the biggest parasites, I've got huge parasites!"

"We're riddled."

"Yes, I'm riddled."

"Yes we are. Badly!"

Nicknameless was unfortunately not buying it. "What would you have us do, then, let 'em all go?" Bilbo thought this over. "Well..." Nicknameless poked Bilbo, sending him stumbling. "You think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools!" Bilbo frowned. "Ferret?" Bert scowled and I knew this wasn't going to end well. "Fools?"

Suddenly, an old man carrying a large walking stick emerged from the bushes, standing over us on a large rock. "The dawn will take you all!" he bellowed. I shifted uneasily. That did not sound promising. "Who's that?" Nicknameless shrugged. "No idea." Sneezer cocked his head. "Can we eat 'im too?"

The old man brought his stick down on the rock, splitting it. Sunlight seeped in and the Trolls screamed and howled, their ugly, brownish-greenish skin turning gray. I watched in amazement as the Trolls turned to stone. All the Dwarves cheered for the old man, whom I found not all to be who he seemed. One Dwarf, who was tied to the spit, had the audacity to say, "Oh, get your foot out of my back!"

Slowly, the Dwarves freed themselves from their imprisonmemts, gathering and cheering for the old man when he came towards them. I was forgotten, luckily. Drawing out my wand, I murmured, " _Relashio_." The ties around me came undone and I breathed deeply, finally able to get air. My head still hurt, but I had a canteen full of lily tea Mum had made, it would cure my for-sure concussion in just a few minutes.

Slowly, I tried to stand up with the rock behind me as my anchor. I let go and tried to take a step. Just as I was starting to regain my balance, black spots formed again in my vision and my knees buckled. I fell on my back, causing noise that drew the Dwarves, Bilbo, and the old man. The leader made a beeline for me, drawing his sword. I panicked, drawing my wand and pointing it at him. He held his sword to my neck, watching my wand curiously.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he demanded. The Dwarf whom I'd conversed with shifted uneasily. I eyed him before looking back to their leader. "I could ask you the same." I replied coolly. The sword's edge dug gently into my neck, making me wince. "Answer me, girl!" he bellowed. Bilbo moved his way to the front, watching me with pity. "Thorin, I promise you she isn't a threat." The leader, Thorin, turned to Bilbo, eying him warily.

"And what makes you say that, Master Baggins? She points a stick at me as if it's a weapon. She must have a reason." Bilbo tried again but with no avail. "Can't you see that's she's scared? And hurt for that matter!" Thorin glared at Bilbo and my sympathy went out to him. This Thorin seemed to have a bad temper. He turned back to me. "Answer me." I swallowed hard, the blade cutting me and drawing blood.

I sighed and lowered my hand holding my wand. There was no use. I was hurt, laying down, and if I even tried to cast a spell I wouldn't be able to get away quick enough without getting stabbed with a blade. "My name is Paige Fawley. I was riding my horse through the forest near my home when I was bucked off and recieved a concussion. When I awoke it was dark. The Trolls found me and captured me. And now I'm here _with a blade at my neck surrounded by a bunch of Dwarves._ "

Thorin studied me for a moment before letting up his sword, a scowl on his face. "Where is your home? No humans have lived here for hundreds of years." I frowned, ignoring what he claimed. "What _I_ want to know is why thirteen Dwarves, and two men are venturing in these parts. And why Trolls have taken refuge in the forest so close to my home. If my mother knew...wait, do you know my mother? Is that why you've come to the Muggle world?"

They all seemed very confused by my words. "What is the Muggle world?" "Who is your mother?" "I'm not a man. I'm a Hobbit." Bilbo piped up. I ignored everyone else's questions and turned to Bilbo. "What's a Hobbit?" "Hobbits are halflings. Shirefolk." The old man broke in, coming forward.

He knelt down beside me and touched my forehead. The old man wore gray robes and a pointy gray hat, that reminded me of Professor McGonagall of Hogwarts. I looked down at his stick and realized that it was a _staff_ , and a magical one at that. I touched it with one finger and could feel the power and magic emanating from it.

The old man took his hand away from my head and watched me with curiousity. "You are not from this world." I gaped at the fellow Wizard. "I'm not in England anymore?" The old man shook his head. "Welcome to Middle-Earth."


	4. 3- Wizard Not Witch

I laid my head back and covered my face in my hands. This could not be happening to me. I pulled them away and tried to sit up, but the black-haired Dwarf pushed me back down. "You are not well. You said it yourself, you have a head injury." I frowned, seeing the party more clearly in the daylight. They all had very distinct, different looks, but had similar, odd dress sense. It differed greatly from mine, making me stand out from them like a sore thumb. I really _was_ not on Earth anymore.

My grasp on my wand tightened and I moaned. Nausea was overwhelming my senses. Before I knew what was happening, I was choking on my own vomit. "Turn the lass on her side!" One of the Dwarves called. The black-haired Dwarf and what I presumed to be his brother shifted me so the vomit poured out of my mouth. I gasped for air, the vile taste on my mouth making me gag.

"Back up." I ordered softly when I was done. "What? Why?" The black-haired Dwarf asked, eyebrows furrowed. I really needed to find out their names. "Please, just do as I say." I pleaded, vomiting again. They all backed away, none of their eyes leaving my form. "I'll explain everything when I'm able to, alright?" I stated, pulling my ring off of my finger. I recieved no answer, so I took that as an agreement. I Transfigured the ring back into my bag, creating nervous titters among the group.

I scrambled through it, looking for the bottle. My head was aching and my vision was failing. I finally found the bottle and unscrewed it. I poured a few drops of it in my mouth and screwed the cap back on, shoving it in my bag. I sighed, closing my eyes and welcoming sleep.

 _Third POV_

Thorin & Company argued amongst themselves as the girl laid on the ground, sleeping away from the pile of her vomit. Bilbo sat on a rock nearby, watching her as she recuperated. To him, she seemed lost and scared, especially when told that she was a long way from home. He believed her story. She certainly did not dress or act like someone from Middle-Earth. Her ability to do magic, now that made him uneasy.

Gandalf had officially confirmed that she was a Witch. What Thorin had thought was merely a stick was actually her wand. She had been defending herself when he held his sword to her neck. At the moment, everyone was arguing over what to do with her. Some said that they should leave her here, leaving her for death. Others suggested that they kill her while she slept, claiming her to be evil. Then there were some who said they should take her with us, either as a prisoner or as a member of the Company.

Bilbo wasn't sure what he thought they should do with Paige Fawley, but whatever they decided, he didn't want it to involve her getting hurt. Gandalf was getting irritated with the arguing and finally bellowed, "Enough! All of you, be silent!" The Dwarves stopped bickering and turned to the wise Wizard. "Before we make any verdict, we must listen to what she has to say." Dwalin scoffed. "Why, so she can charm us and kill us? She's a Witch! I think that we should kill her before she kills us."

A few Dwarves grumbled in agreement. "What harm has she done to us yet? If she is as powerful as you all think, then why did she not join forces with the Trolls or free herself before Gandalf came? She was obviously capable of doing so whenever she wanted, but she didn't. Just like when Thorin had a sword to her neck and she had her wand pointed at him. She could've done magic there, but she _didn't_. I agree with Gandalf, we hear what she has to say and then make a decision." Kíli put forth strongly.

Everyone looked to Thorin, who was mulling over everyone's opinions and making his own. He looked over at the girl, who looked so innocent and helpless. He finally caved and grunted, "We wait to hear what she has to say. Then make a decision." Everyone then went and busied themselves, waiting for Paige Fawley to awaken.

She awoke fifteen minutes later with her coloring coming back and her cuts starting to heal. Everyone gathered around to hear what she had to say. She sat up slowly, Kíli kneeling to give her a hand. She shrunk away from him, holding up her hand to stop him. Everyone tensed, thinking she was going to use magic on him. She didn't.

Paige sighed, propping herself up against a rock.

 _Paige's POV_

I looked throughout the party, through the Dwarves, Wizard, and Bilbo. I looked to Thorin to see what he had to say. He watched me with an unreadable look and announced, "We will hear what you have to say, Miss Fawley, then make a decision on what to do with you." I frowned, not liking how he worded things. "You say it like I'm your prisoner, a burden." He shifted, a hand resting on the hilt of his great sword.

"As of right now, you are." I swallowed hard, gathering my thoughts. I took a deep breath and started to plead my case, feeling like I was on trial. "First thing I want you to know is that I mean you no harm. Believe me, don't believe me, I don't care. But it is the truth. I am a Witch, as you said, but I prefer the term Wizard. 'Witch' is used as a term of hate, a thing of evil. But I assure you that I practice good magic. I honestly don't know what else to say except one thing: Am I allowed to ask you all a few questions?"

They all processed my words, frowning as they comprehended my question. Thorin thought this over before replying, "Depending on your questions, but ask." My eyebrows raised in surprise. I hadn't expected him to allow my questions. "First off, what are your names? It's rather annoying not knowing what to call you any of you." Everyone looked to Thorin a bit nervously. Again, I was surprised when he answered my question.

"I am Thorin Oakenshield, head of the Company." He then went on to introduce me to the rest of the company. There was Dori, Ori, Nori, Óin, Glóin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Kíli (the black-haired Dwarf), and Fíli. The Wizard, was named Gandalf the Gray. I already knew Bilbo. I smiled slightly, happy to vaguely know who was who.

"What else do you wish to know?" Thorin asked. I thought for a moment before wincing. They were most definitely _not_ going to answer _that_. "What?" Dwalin barked. I flinched at his tone and mumbled, "Nothing." Thorin rolled his eyes. "It was obviously something. Ask it." I sighed. "Alright, but I know you won't answer. What exactly are you doing?" They all started at that, mumbling and grumbling.

I stayed silent, waiting for them to quiet down. Thorin nodded. "You are right. I'm not going to answer that. I wish to ask our own questions now." I shrugged. "Go ahead." Thorin seemed surprised by my easiness, causing him to bristle. "What can you do?" I frowned, not expecting that question.

"Well, I can do magic, I'm a rather decent swordsman, fair archer and knive-thrower, I can ride a horse well, and I'm a bit of a healer." A bit of grumbling went around again when I talked about my fighting skills. "You can fight, eh? Who taught you?" Balin, I was pretty sure his name was Balin, asked, somewhat kindly. My mouth quirked into a half-smile. "My mother."

Thorin nodded, seeming to have gathered all the information that he needed. He had the Company surround him in a tight circle, whispering in hushed tones. I struggled to sit up, my strength coming back to me slower than I wished. I pulled my weapons out of my bag, strapping my bow and quiver to my back, my weapons belt carrying my sword around my waist, and sheathing daggers and knives big and small on my body.

I looked up realizing that everyone was staring at me. My cheeks flushed slightly and I shrugged. "What, thought I was lying?" Thorin thought for a moment before announcing, "Miss Fawley, we are extending an invitation to you to join us on our quest. I warn you though, it will be dangerous. The possibility of death very present at all times. Usually, we would have you sign a contract, but I'm afraid we do not have a spare."

I thought over the proposition carefully. They were willing to accept me and let me be apart of their adventure. _Mum would say yes in a heartbeat_ , a voice in my head said. _But you're not Mum_ , another voice reminded me snidely. I chewed on my lip, analyzing. I realized that I _wanted_ to go on their adventure. Badly.

"Well?" Thorin asked, a bit impatient. I broke into a grin. "Count me in." A few people cheered or grinned, making me smile a bit, too. I knew that they all had some doubts about me still, but I was determined to prove them wrong.


	5. 4- Hunted

We had been walking for fifteen minutes or so when we came across a cave. As it turned out, Gandalf and Thorin thought that the Trolls would have a cave. They were right. We entered the cave and was immediately greeted by a foul smell, one that made me want vomit again. Luckily, there was nothing left to throw up, since I'd emptied my stomach back by the Trolls. "Oh, what's that stench?!" Nori asked, gagging. Gandalf made a face, replying, "It's a Troll hoard. Be careful what you touch."

I took his warning to heart and touched nothing, afraid to know what he was warning us against. "Seems a shame just to leave it lyin' around. Anyone could take it." Bofur commented innocently, the tip of his shoe touching gold coins splattered all on the ground. I smirked, slowly learning just how often treasure was on a Dwarf's mind. Glóin grunted, "Agreed. Nori, get a shovel." Thorin, while looking around, found two swords covered in cobwebs. Gandalf joined him, taking one off of his hands.

When they unsheathed them, I could tell even from where I stood that they were made of fine craftsmanship. Thorin stared at his in wonder and awe. "These swords were not made by any Troll." Gandalf nodded in agreement. "Nor were they made by any smith among Men." Gandalf studied the blade in his hands closely. "These were forged in Gondolin by the High Elves of the First Age."

My eyebrows raised in surprise. There were Elves here, too? I watched Thorin, confused, when he suddenly wore a look of digust when told that they were Elven blades. Gandalf noticed his reaction as well and promptly told him, "You could not wish for a finer blade."

I had expected Thorin to throw it away, judging by his reaction, but he kept the sword nonetheless. As I followed the others out of the cave, I noticed some of the Dwarves putting a chest into the ground, Dwalin watching with disapprovement. Glóin shrugged. "We're makin' a long term deposit." I snorted quietly, catching Glóin's eye. He watched me with a blank expression that wiped the smirk off my face. I kept walking, my face bowed to the ground.

Thorin looked at his friends who were taking forever, dawdling. "Let's get out of this foul place. Come on, let's go. Bofur! Glóin! Nori!" They started to pick up the pace, grumbling as Dwarves often do. At least they did a lot so far. I had fallen into step behind Gandalf when he stopped, picking up a sword buried in a mass of leaves and dirt. However, the blade and sheath were untouched by the filth. "Bilbo." The Wizard called.

The Hobbit snapped out of his daze, causing me to chuckle quietly at the funny face he pulled. "Hmm?" He held the sword, small for me, but long enough for a Hobbit, out to Bilbo. "Here. This is about your size." His jaw dropped, as if the idea of giving him a weapon was ludicrous. "I can't take this." Gandalf shoved it in the Hobbit's hands, pretty set on him having it. "The blade is of Elvish make which means it will glow blue when Orcs or Goblins are nearby."

I knew what a Goblin was, though not by Middle-Earth standards, but I was pretty sure I didn't want to find out what an 'Orc' was. Bilbo protested again, "I have never used a sword in my life." "And I hope you never have to. But if you do, remember this: true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one." Gandalf said, wisely.

I was still pondering over Gandalf's words when Thorin stopped and hissed, "Something's coming!" "Gandalf-" Bilbo whispered. The old man ignored him, ordering in a hushed tone, "Stay together! Hurry now. Arm yourselves." I drew my sword out, doing as told, spying the others drawing out their weapons, too. We took off for the woods, silent and tense.

Suddenly, a sled pulled by rabbits emerged with a man dressed all in brown driving it. I couldn't get a good look at him because he was moving so fast, but from a glimpse, I could tell he dressed oddly, but maybe it was just me. I held my sword up, ready if a fight were to ensue. But from the way Gandalf looked at him, I could tell that there would be no fight. "Thieves! Fire! Murder!" The man cried. Gandalf barked, "Radagast! Radagast the Brown. Ah. What on _earth_ are you doing here?"

 _So he's a Wizard, too._ I sheathed my sword and watched the two Wizards interact. "I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong." I was a bit skeptic of the guy. He was a bit cross-eyed and-was that _bird poop_ dripping down his face and in his hair?! Gandalf raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" The other Wizard opened and closed his mouth like a fish. Good grief. "Oh, just give me a minute. Oh, I had a thought, and now I've lost it. It was, it was right there, on the tip of my tongue."

Radagast curled his tongue, then looked down at it in surprise. "Oh, it's not a thought at all; it's a silly old...stick insect!" Gandalf reached out and pulled an insect out of Radagast's mouth. I had to refrain from gagging. _That_ was disgusting. The Wizards walked off to talk in private, leaving us in silence. Fíli and Kíli suddenly showed up by my side and startled me.

"Are you feeling better? You took a nasty blow to the head." Fíli asked kindly. I smiled slightly at him and his brother. "Yes, I am. Thank you for asking." We sat in silence for a bit before Kíli asked, "You are from another world than ours, yes? What's it like?" I saw the genuine curiosity in their eyes and could tell they wanted to know more about Earth.

"I'm not too sure that now is the best time to talk about where I'm from, but how about you find me later once we've set up camp for the night. Deal?" Both seemed disappointed by my lack of an answer, but seemed satisifed enough with my proposal. "I'll hold you to it!" Kíli agreed, wearing a cheerful grin. How he could manage to smile at a time like this was a mystery to me, but it was a nice change from the serious expressions on all the other Company members' faces.

When the two Wizards returned, Gandalf had a dark, serious expression on his face. A howl pierced the air, sending chills down my spine. Bilbo's face became a mask of fear. "Was that a wolf? Are there-are there wolves out there?" Bofur listened intently. "Wolves? No, that is not a wolf." Abruptly, a beast broke through a mass of bushes and lept onto a Dwarf. Thorin stepped in and quickly killed it.

I stood there, stunned. Another popped out, only to be shot down by Kíli, who carried a bow as well as a sword. Thorin took his blade out of the creature, shouting, "Warg-Scouts! Which means an Orc pack is not far behind." "Orc pack?" Bilbo squeaked. I frowned. I guess I was going to find out what an Orc was. Turning to Bofur, who was next to me, I asked, "What the hell is an Orc?" He made a face. "A disgusting, ruthless race of evil. Wargs are their steeds, those beasts are just two." I nodded, taking this information into account.

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf asked Thorin. He shook his head. "No one." Gandalf did not seem to believe him, for he demanded again, "Who did you tell?" "No one, I swear. What in Durin's name is going on?" Thorin snapped. The Wizard wore a grim expression. "You are being hunted."

Dwalin wore an 'Oh, shit' face. Apparently, this was worse than I thought. "We have to get out of here." "We can't! We have no ponies; they bolted." Ori pointed out. Not for the first time, I wished I had my mother's powers. If I did, I could Change into a dinosaur or something and carry everyone away to safety while crushing the hunting parties.

I was so lost in thought that I almost missed Radagast saying, "I'll draw them off." Gandalf frowned, retorting, "These are Gundabad Wargs; they will outrun you." Radagast smirked, saying confidently, " _These_ are Rhosgobel Rabbits; I'd like to see them try." My respect for that Wizard went up ten times as I watched him lead away the Orcs and Wargs.

We took off running, out of the forest and into plains filled with large rocks and intense terrain. We stopped, hiding behind a large rock as Gandalf watched Radagast be chased, but not yet caught. I swore quietly when I slipped on the grass but caught myself, earning a cheeky smirk from Fíli, who happened to hear me. I glared at him and kept running. Gandalf continued to watch the chase before deciding that it was safe for us to continue running. "Come on!" We all pushed off from the rock and followed him. As I ran, I was amazed at how Gandalf, who looked _really_ old, could keep up with us. Did he run for his life on a daily basis?

Thorin, who took the lead sometime while we were running, stopped again, watching Radagast and the Orc hunters forty yards or so away. He and Gandalf turned us around, running back the way we came. I realized that Wargs were similar to wolves and if they got a whiff of us, they'd start hunting us. "Stay together." Gandalf told Thorin. I heard more Warg howls and sped up.

Thorin stopped, spying more hunters, but Ori kept running. "Ori, no! Come back!" Our leader grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back. Gandalf waited for them to pass, before motioning us to go in a different direction. "Come on! Quick!" I didn't know where we were going so I just stuck behind Óin. As we ran, I heard Thorin ask Gandalf, "Where are you leading us?"

The Wizard didn't answer, leading us on. We were passing through another area full of rocks, open field coming up, when we abruptly stopped, Radagast and the hunters passing by us a little too close for comfort. We pressed ourselves against the rock, when I heard the sound of heavy breathing. I held a hand over my mouth to muffle my own breathing, sucking in deep breaths to sustain silence. There was a Warg-Scout on top of the rock right behind us.

Thorin and Kíli nodded to each other and Kíli pulled out his bow, aiming for the Warg. He shot the Warg, not killing it, sending the body and the Orc riding it tumbling towards us. The other Dwarves stepped in and killed the Orc, Kíli shooting and finally killing the Warg. The whole process was not very quiet. They both had screamed and shrieked like banshees. I winced as they finished the Orc off. I took a few moments to observe the Orc and the Warg, for future reference. When I was done, I turned to Thorin and said, "The other hunters would've heard that. We have to move now."

He raised his eyebrows, not seeming to believe me. "How can you possibly know that?" I gave him a look. "They didn't kill him quietly. The others _must_ have heard him struggling." As if on cue, we all heard words bellowed in another, dark tongue somewhere nearby. Gandalf looked like he was the only one who understood what the words were, but I think we all understood it as a cry to charge. There were more Warg howls and I turned back to Thorin, challenging him. He glowered at me and moved away.

"Move. Run!" Gandalf bellowed, taking the lead. I took off sprinting, trying to come up with a plan to give us some time. We came to a stop, trying to figure out where they were. "There they are!" Glóin shouted, spotting the hunters. "This way! Quickly!" Gandalf shouted, pulling us in another direction. We stopped, again. I turned in a circle. We were surrounded from all sides. Kíli, who was a bit far away, shouted to Thorin, "There's more coming!"

Thorin gritted his teeth and shouted back, "Kíli! Shoot them!" Suddenly getting an idea, I raced forward to join Fíli, Kíli, and the others at the front line. "We're surrounded!" Fíli screamed, drawing his twin swords. Kíli pulled out his bow and started shooting some of the scouts down long range. I noticed an Orc about to shoot at Kíli and pulled out my wand, casting without a second thought, " _Relashio_!" The bow string broke, the arrow misfiring.

Fíli stared at me in awe. I ignored him and casted the same spell on other Orc weapons. "Where is Gandalf?" Kíli asked, firing another arrow. I looked around and saw no sign of the Wizard. "He has abandoned us!" Dwalin wailed. I rolled my eyes, ducking and rolling to miss a spear thrown at my head and pointed my wand at the Orc, sending him and the Warg flying backwards with the Backfiring Jinx. "You Dwarves lose faith in others too quickly." I called to anyone who heard.

We regrouped in a circle, everyone drawing their weapons if they hadn't already. I pulled out my sword, using my left hand, though I was right-handed. I did this so I could cast spells with my right hand. Another thing my mum taught us was how to fight with both hands because sometimes you needed your wand, too. "Hold your ground!" Thorin commanded.

I focused in on the oncoming Warg-Scouts, prepared to fight. Gandalf suddenly popped up from behind a rock and yelled, "This way, you fools!" We looked behind us and saw him. "Come on, move! Quickly, all of you! Go!" Thorin shouted. Dwarves slid down the slanted rock and into a hidden cave. I was about to, when I saw Thorin fighting off some Warg-Scouts.

Determined, I pushed my through the remaining Dwarves and went to help Thorin. "Miss Paige! Where are you going?" Balin shouted. Thorin jerked around and saw me running at him. I shouted for him to look out as a Warg charged at him. I grabbed two knives and flung them out in one swift motion.

The Dwarf leader stared at me as I retrieved my knives from the bodies and straightened up. He blinked a few times before noticing Kíli still shooting arrows. "Kíli Run!" The said Dwarf turned and ran with his bow and an arrow in hand. I took out my own bow and shot a few Wargs pursuing him. Thorin, Kíli, and I were the last ones to slide down the rock and into the cave.

I gasped quietly as my arm was cut on a jagged piece of rock. I covered the cut on my arm as Thorin stood over me, looking furious. "Do you not understand the meaning of 'go', you idiotic human?" I glared up at him, letting my hand, smeared with blood, fall. "I'm sorry that you almost got killed and I stepped in to help." His jaw tightened and I thought he was going to hit me. "I had it handled."

I was about argue with him, but a horn from above sounded and we all froze. I listened closely and heard arrows being fired. A third party? We stayed silent until an Orc body fell down the rock slide. We all stepped aside as it rolled to a stop. There was an arrow sticking in its throat and Thorin bent down to examine it. His face became a mask of disdain. "Elves."

I cocked my head and watched as he tossed the arrow aside, standing up. My curiousity got the best of me and I started to question, mentally of course, why Thorin hated the Elves so much. I would have to ask Balin later, who seemed to know our Dwarf leader the best. Dwalin spotted a pathway and stated, "I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or no?"

"Follow it, of course!" Bofur exclaimed, making his way to the front of the Company. Gandalf nodded, wearing an innocent expression. "I think that would be wise." I narrowed my eyes and stared the old man. I hadn't known him very long, a couple of hours at best, but I could tell that he was either keeping something from us or had a plan Thorin did not know about.

We followed the path, finding it narrow, winding, and full of cliffs. Gandalf and I struggled with it sometimes, but the Dwarves and Bilbo had no problem, being smaller than the two of us. "You used magic back there. Saved my life. Why?" Kíli asked me in a hushed tone. I shrugged nonchalantly. "I was just returning the favor. You saved my life this morning from the Trolls. And magic was the quickest way."

He pondered over this, but kept walking. After half an hour of long walking, the ground finally evened out, displaying a valley. And in that valley was a beautiful city. "The Valley of Imraldis. In the Common Tongue, it's known by a another name." Gandalf announced to the party. Surprisingly, Bilbo was the one who said, "Rivendell." The Wizard nodded. "Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea."

I looked over and saw our fearless leader looking very pissed off. When I scanned everyone else, they also looked uneasy. "This was your plan all along, to seek refuge with our enemy." Thorin growled. Gandalf, who looked tired and very irritated at this point, retorted, "You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself."

For some reason, Thorin was picking a fight with the Wizard. From his behavior, it seemed like arguing with Gandalf wasn't smart. "You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us." I raised my eyebrows. Was there some feud between Dwarves and Elves, like the Capulets and the Montagues in _Romeo and Juliet_? Bilbo, on the other hand, looked excited to be here. His excitment made me smile a fraction.

"Of course they will. But we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me." Gandalf stated in a tone of conclusiveness. The conversation was over.

Reluctantly, it seemed, the Dwarves followed after Gandalf as he led us down a pathway to the heart of the valley. I was intrigued by the idea of Elves and was anxious to meet some, though I wasn't about to announce this to a bunch of Elf-hating Dwarves. As if I needed another reason for them to hate me. For the remainder of the walk, I stayed silent, my feet aching with each step.


	6. 5- Feast at Elrond's

Tensions were running high at this point. We were all exhausted and tired of fleeing from foes left and right. I kept my mouth shut, but I desperately needed a break. Luckily, it seemed I'd get one in Rivendell. Dwalin and Fíli shifted uneasily next to me as we walked.

We came to the courtyard and were greeted by a dark-haired Elf. He walked down a flight of stairs, holding an air of grace. "Mithrandir." He said, looking to Gandalf. He smiled. "Ah, Lindir!" The two friends greeted each other, leaving the Dwarves to grumble darkly. "Stay sharp." Thorin whispered to Dwalin, though the rest of us heard him, too.

I rubbed the side of my face, irritated. "Do you lot trust Gandalf?" They eyed me warily, some shaking their heads yes. "If he thinks that being here is a good idea, then it is. Where the bloody hell would we be if by some miracle we had escaped the Orcs? Sleeping in the wilderness? Maybe getting attacked by worse forces than Trolls?"

"Your point?" Thorin drawled mockingly. I shot him a look and retorted, " _My point_ is mind your damn manners. Got it?" Thorin huffed haughtily and turned his back to me. I flared my nostrils and I turned my gaze to the cut on my arm, hoping the bleeding would stop soon. As I wrapped it up hastily, cursing myself for not doing it earlier, I realized, feeling a bit sad, that they still didn't trust me. They thought of me as a burden. _Hell, they haven't even told me what the quest is yet...But then again...I haven't even known them for a whole day yet! Get a grip! They have every right to be guarded against a newcomer. Especially someone like me._

Gandalf and Lindir talked for a few minutes when the horn we heard earlier sounded again. I turned around to see that a group of armed Elven warriors were riding towards us on horseback. They were going pretty fast and I started to worry when they weren't slowing down. " _Ifridî bekâr_!" (Hold ranks!) Thorin shouted in what I assumed was Dwarvish. "Hold ranks!"

The Dwarves created a tight circle, shoving me and Bilbo into the middle. I squirmed and cursed under my breath. They were treating me like a china doll and it pissed me off. Had they not seen me fighting with them against the Orcs? Had I not saved Thorin and Kíli? I felt a wave of anger and hot tears forming in my eyes.

I forced them back and watched in fear as the Elven warriors drew their horses around us, forming another tight circle. Their leader emerged from the midst of his people, still horseback. "Gandalf." The Elf said, nodding. Gandalf bowed to the Elf, smiling pleasantly. I studied the Elf from where I was and found that he seemed older, not much in looks, and wiser than the rest.

"Lord Elrond. _Mellonnen! Mo evínedh_?" (My friend! Where have you been?) Gandalf said first in English, then in what I assumed was Elvish. " _Farannem 'lamhoth i udul o charad. Dagannem rim na Iant Vedui._ " (We've been hunting a pack of Orcs that came up from the South. We slew a number near the Hidden Pass.) Elrond replied in his native tongue, leaving the rest of us out of the loop. At least, I was pretty sure that none of the Dwarves spoke Elvish. I could've been wrong.

Elrond dismounted from his steed and went to hug Gandalf. Suprisingly, he started to speak English again. "Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something, or someone, has drawn them near." His tone wasn't accusing, but he said it as if he were sure it had been us. He held up an Orc sword to Gandalf before handing it off to Lindir.

"Ah, that may have been us." Gandalf said apologetically. Thorin stepped forward, looking guarded. Elrond eyed him with recognition. "Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain." _Ah, so these guys do the whole 'blank, son of blank' thing. I think they did that in Narnia, too._ "I do not believe we have met." Thorin commented.

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the Mountain." Elrond claimed. I frowned. _What Mountain? Thorin is royalty? How old_ is _this Elrond?_ "Indeed; he made no mention of you." Thorin snipped. I winced, knowing that this conversation couldn't have been complete without Thorin insulting our-hopefully-host. Elrond narrowed his eyes, but turned to the Elves and spoke Elvish again, leaving me lost, wondering what he was saying. " _Nartho i noer, toltho i viruvor. Boe i annam vann a nethail vin_." (Light the fires, bring forth the wine. We must feed our guests.)

Glóin, also seeming to not understanding what he said, asked in an accusatory tone, "What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?" Gandalf sighed exasperatedly and replied, "No, Master Glóin, he's offering you food." I snorted, watching as the Dwarves' grips on their weapons relaxed. They huddled together and discussed this quietly.

I raised my eyebrows and watched to see what the verdict was going to be, seeing that I hadn't been invited to join the discussion. I stood a bit off to the side, catching Elrond's eye. He didn't say anything, but he watched me with a curious glint in his eyes. "Ah well, in that case, lead on." Glóin finally said, sounding a little sheepish.

Elrond, with Gandalf by his side, guided us through the heart of Rivendell. It was a beautiful city. However, Bilbo and I were the only ones who took in its beauty and grace. The Dwarves kept their heads low and didn't stop and marvel the way the two of us did.

The Elf Lord looked behind him and at me, his eyes catching the cut on my arm that was crappily tied and my pale pallor. He beckoned Lindir and whispered something to him. The Elf servant nodded and walked away, making his way to me. I stopped, panic suddenly forming. What had he said to the Elf? Lindir stopped in front of me and smiled distantly, though his face was really more expressionless. "Lord Elrond has requested me to ask if you would like to receieve some medical attention."

The Company had stopped and was watching the interaction. I bit my lip and looked over at the Elf, who seemed nice enough. My full strength still hadn't come back and I hoped that maybe the Elves could help. I smiled politely and replied, "If it's no trouble."

Lindir smiled aloofly and started walking in a different direction from the group. "This way, miss." I slowly followed him, looking over my shoulder once to look at the group. Most of the Dwarves had walked away, making my heart sink, but Bilbo and Kíli watched me walk away before returning to the group. That gave me some hope.

Lindir and I walked through the halls of Rivendell in silence, with me taking everything in in awe and the Elf watching me out of the corner of his eye, slightly amused. The walk was short and I was a bit disappointed. I had been hoping to look around more. "Here we are. I will take my leave and come back to collect you for dinner." Lindir said, walking away.

I bit my lip and called, "Wait!" He turned, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?" I smiled at him and nodded my head. "Thank you." He tipped his head in return, his amusement only to be seen through his eyes. I turned back to the room. There were several Elves bustling around, doing productive things. I stood there awkwardly in the doorway, not sure what to do.

"How can I help you, miss?" An Elf asked, walking up to me. I looked up in surprise, before showing them my arm and explaining the probability of having a concussion. The She-Elf frowned and led me to a chair. I sat down, watching as she tended to my arm first. "You have luck on your side. Had you waited any longer, the cut could have become infected. Resulting in nausea or a fever, for example."

I nodded, watching as she mixed some herbs together in a bowl. When the She-Elf was done, she handed me the mixture. I downed it in one gulp, cringing slightly at the earthy taste. She tilted my head upwards, inspecting my head. "That should help with your head injury." She explained, leading me to an area with beds. "Rest. The drink will make you drowsy."

I collasped on the bed immediately, sighing at the comfiness. "But what about the feast?" I asked, yawning. She smiled not unkindly. "It will not be for another few hours. Sleep until then and you may freshen up later." I mumbled a sleepy thanks and passed out.

When I awoke, it took a few seconds to remember everything. I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes and sat up. My arm was bandaged tightly and was showed no signs of further bleeding. My head felt a lot better, too. I looked around the room and found it empty. I panicked, thinking that the feast had already started without me, and shot up from the bed, the floor cold on my bare feet. When did my shoes come off?

I raced to the door and almost ran over my healer. I stopped short, seeing the alarm on her face. "Sorry. I thought that the feast had started without me." I apologized sheepishly. She nodded, still looking alarmed, and walked to her supplies on a nearby table. "I came to change your bandages and see if you were awake. The festivities will start soon and I thought you would like to wash up."

The She-Elf, whose name I still hadn't caught, brought me to a room that had a tub of hot water and soaps nearby. I was left alone again. I stripped out of my clothes and stepped into the tub. I scrubbed myself down, digusted by all the dirt and blood that tainted the water. The warm water did, however, wonders for my aching, sore muscles. I tried to avoid getting my left arm wet at all costs, but managed to once, causing it to sting like hell.

Speaking of my cut, after I dried off, I bandaged it to find it healing miraculously. Elven medicine was more efficient than I had expected. Then I changed into a blue-gray tunic and brown leggings, which the She-Elf had left for me. The Elven clothes were comfy and loose. I liked them a lot. It was also nice because though I liked dresses, I wasn't really in the mood to wear one. Taking a wet cloth, I wiped down my shoes, in hopes of making them look somewhat presentable again. Shrugging, I shoved them on, almost running out the door with wet hair.

I swore under my breath and cursed the fact that we girls take so long when getting ready. There was no time to dry my hair, so I used magic to plait it into a nice French braid. Finally deeming myself ready, I grabbed my weapons and wand and opened the door to find Lindir standing there. I smiled at the Elf, and walked alongside of him to the feast.

"Are you feeling better, miss?" he asked kindly. I nodded, shooting him a smile. "Yes, thank you, Lindir. Please call me Paige." The Elf didn't reply, walking through the door to the feasting hall. My lips parted in awe as I took in the rich, nature-like yet elegant décor of the place, which had a small waterfall and many beautiful sculptures. It also had a wonderful view of Rivendell. There were Elves playing soothing music on the sides of the balcony-like deck and other Elves serving foods, from which I could tell had a lot of greens and vegetables.

I spotted my-friends?-comrades sitting at two, low tables while Thorin and Gandalf sat at a higher table with Elrond. Everyone's eyes fell to me as I stood in the doorway awkwardly. My eyes fell to the ground as I pushed imaginary flyaways behind my ear. "Hello." I greeted neutrally.

There was some jumbled reactions. Some, like Kíli and Bilbo, looked happy to see me. Others like Dwalin and Thorin, didn't. And then there were those, like Bofur and Dori, whose expressions I couldn't decipher. Bombur, bless him, only seemed to care about the food. Gandalf stood up from his seat and strode over to me. "Ah! Miss Paige, I see you're recovering. How do you feel?"

I nodded, smiling thinly. "I'm feeling better, Gandalf. Thank you." The Wizard clapped me on the shoulder, smiling. "After the ordeal we have been through today, I can only imagine that you badly needed that rest." My smile grew to be more genuine. Elrond made his way over to us, eyeing me curiously again.

"Miss Paige." he addressed. I curtsied informly and replied, "Lord Elrond. Thank you for hosting my...companions...and I and giving me the medical attention that I needed." He smiled at me with what I started to call the "Elvish smile". What they did was smile, but with a more distant or aloof sort of aura. I didn't think they did it intentionally, they just naturally had this sense of emotionless to them.

"My, you are very well-mannered, for a human and a companion of Thorin Oakenshield at that." Elrond mused, quietly so that the Dwarves did not start a fight over the slight insult. I snorted slightly at the comment, knowing how true it was. "Thank you, my lord."

He turned and said at a normal volume, "Come and dine with us. I can only imagine that you are starving." It occured to me that I hadn't eaten anything since I was in England. The special tea my mum concocted held hunger at bay, but it was starting to become overbearing.

As I made my way to the high table, I looked at the Dwarves at the lower tables. Bilbo smiled brightly at me and asked, "Feeling better?" I nodded, smiling back. When I passed Kíli, I asked him in a low voice, "Food any good?" He made a face and shook his head no. "It's all plants and vegetables. No meat. It's absolutely digusting."

I smiled wider at him as I walked away, calling quietly, "You need to keep a balanced diet or you'll get fat!" He glared at me and looked down at his untouched dinner. I sat down at the table next to Thorin and Gandalf, Elrond across from me. I glanced over at Thorin, who barely spared me a glance. I frowned and looked away. _It seems like I'm succeeding in becoming his favorite person_ , I thought bitterly.

My thoughts were broken as an Elf servant laid a plate of food down in front of me. I smiled and thanked them, digging right in. Kíli didn't know what he was talking about. I thought that the food was really good, maybe a bit too healthy for my liking, but good nonetheless. I looked up from my plate and to the three males. "So, what are we talking about?" I asked, dabbing my mouth with the napkin in my lap.

Elrond held up the two swords Gandalf and Thorin found in the Troll cave, though they were free of cobwebs and looked brand-new. "These." I studied the blades from where I sat, seeing that they were the most beautiful swords I had ever seen in my life. Elrond held Thorin's up to the setting sunlight, announcing, "This is Orcrist, the Goblin Cleaver. A famous blade, forged by the High Elves of the West, my kin. May it serve you well."

He handed the sword back to Thorin, bowing his head politely. This annoyed me because he was being more polite to an Elf, whose race he _despised_ , than me, whom he'd known a bit longer than the Elven folk of Rivendell. I frowned, coming to terms with just how much Thorin distrusted me.

Lord Elrond's voice brought me back to reality when he said, "And this is Glamdring, the Foe-hammer, sword of the King of Gondolin. These swords were made for the Goblin Wars of the First Age..." As Elrond handed Gandalf his sword, he inquired, "How did you come by these?" The old Wizard's gaze slid over to the Dwarf before replying truthfully, "We found them in a Troll hoard on the Great East Road, shortly before we were ambushed by Orcs."

Elrond raised his eyebrows. "And what were you doing on the Great East Road?" I noticed Thorin's knuckles tightening around his silverware. No one answered. Thorin pushed himself away from the table and stood up, placing his napkin on the table. "Excuse me." he said coolly, walking over to where his friends were. I broke the silence, changing the topic. "Gandalf, may I please see your sword?" The two males shot me surprised looks, but Gandalf complied.

I stood up and away from the table a bit. I held the blade up to the light and felt its weight. The craftsmenship was so skillful that the blade felt almost perfectly even, but deadly at the same time. I swung it around a few times before handing it back to Gandalf. "It's probably the best sword I've ever seen or held."

Elrond shot me an impressed glance. "And you are familiar with swords and blacksmithing, Miss Paige?" I shrugged, picking at the remains of food on my plate. "Swords, yes. Blacksmithing, no." Elrond was about to say something, but was cut off by Bofur, who was now standing on a tree stump and singing a song. All the Dwarves except for Thorin joined in, though he was standing nearby with a smile on his face and a flask in hand. That was quite the sight. The smile, I mean. I had been sure his face didn't know how. The Dwarves stomped, threw food, and banged silverware on the table.

It was quite a merry sight, though Bilbo watched on a bit uncomfortably. He was just as new to this rowdy, crazy bunch of Dwarves as I was, and that reassured me a bit.

" _There's an inn, there's an inn, there's a merry old inn_

 _beneath an old grey hill,_

 _And there they brew a beer so brown_

 _That the Man in the Moon himself came down_

 _one night to drink his fill._

 _The ostler has a tipsy cat_

 _that plays a five-stringed fiddle;_

 _And up and down he saws his bow_

 _Now squeaking high, now purring low,_

 _now sawing in the middle._

 _So the cat on the fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,_

 _a jig that would wake the dead:_

 _He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,_

 _While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:_

 _'It's after three!' he said._ "

Overall, they were being horrible guests and I felt mortified as their companion. I did, however, enjoy the lively singing. It was a nice change from the soft, sleepy Elven music. Judging by the Elves' expressions, they did not agree. Gandalf leaned over and whispered merrily to me, "I forgot to mention, Miss Paige, that Dwarves are very fond of singing."

I cocked an eyebrow, spying a glob of food Kíli had thrown seeping down a sculpture by Elrond and Lindir, the latter wearing a horrified expression. "And making messes, I see." The Wizard just laughed.


	7. 6- Moon Runes

When night fell, I stood with Gandalf, Elrond, Thorin, Balin, and Bilbo in a beautiful hall, sort of like a library, watching Thorin, Gandalf, and Balin fight over whether to show Elrond something or not. I was completely out of the loop and was very confused as to why I was even there. Bilbo and I shared an exasperated glance, looking on. "Our business is no concern of Elves." Thorin snapped. I winced, sneaking a look over at Elrond, who didn't seemed fazed by the Dwarf's comment.

"For goodness sake, Thorin, show him the map." Gandalf commanded. I would've been shaking in my boots if he spoke to me like that and comply immediately, but Thorin, the thick-headed Dwarf, refused still. "It is the legacy of my people; it is mine to protect, as are its secrets." The Wizard's tone turned reasonable, but lost none of its scariness. "Save me from the stubbornness of Dwarves. Your pride will be your downfall. You stand here in the presence of one of the few in Middle-Earth who can read that map. Show it to Lord Elrond."

Thorin thought the offer over for a few seconds, all of us watching him. Looking a bit defeated, Thorin walked to Elrond to give him the map. Balin's arm shot out as he tried to stop his friend. "Thorin, no!" The Dwarf leader pushed past Balin and gave the map at Elrond.

The wise Elf examined the map, his expression darkening a bit. "Erebor. What is your interest in this map?" I frowned and walked over to him, peering over his shoulder. I had yet to see this map and wanted to know just where we were going. On the map had a mountain labeled the Lonely Mountain. I gulped when I saw a picture of a _Dragon_ drawn near the front of the mountain. We were going to a place that housed a _Dragon_? I barely looked at the rest of the map, which contained cities and lands and other things not important.

Thorin was about to tell Elrond, but Gandalf cut him off, replying, "It's mainly academic. As you know, this sort of artifact sometimes contains hidden text. You still read Ancient Dwarvish, do you not?" Elrond turned his back to us and walked away a bit, giving Thorin the time to give Gandalf a nod of appreciation. I internally groaned. _Gandalf is obviously covering for the true purpose of the quest. So what is it really? And what does it have to do with going to the Lonely Mountain and a Dragon living there?_

Elrond stopped walking when the moonlight touched the map. "Cirth Ithil." he said. Gandalf nodded, ahhing. "Moon runes. Of course. An easy thing to miss." Elrond put the map down and turned to us. "Well in this case, that is true; moon runes can only be read by the light of a moon of the same shape and season as the day on which they were written." I rolled my head back and placed my hands on my hips. It was almost completely impossible that tonight was the night the runes had been written.

"Can you read them?" Thorin asked, desperation in his tone. Elrond looked to Gandalf before looking down at the Dwarf. "We can try. Come." The Elf walked away with the map in hand. We all followed. Elrond led us to an area on a cliff face with waterfalls falling all around us. It was beautiful, a word I was using a lot to describe Rivendell.

There was a large table in the middle of the area, most likely made of crystal. Elrond placed the map on the table. "These runes were written on a Midsummer's Eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly two hundred years ago. It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell. Fate is with you, Thorin Oakenshield; the same moon shines upon us tonight." My eyes widened. _Woah,_ that _is lucky._

The moon came out from behind some clouds and shone down on the crystal table. I stood behind Balin and Bilbo, who were shorter than me by a lot, and watched as runes appeared on the map. Elrond started to translate them aloud. "'Stand by the gray stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole.'" _Durin's Day? Key hole for what?_ All these phrases and words were starting to frustrate me because I didn't know what they meant.

Luckily, Bilbo didn't seem to know everything either. "Durin's Day?" Gandalf, the little know-it-all, answered, "It is the start of the Dwarves' new year, when the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appear in the sky together." Thorin looked strickened. "This is ill news. Summer is passing. Durin's Day will soon be upon us." "We still have time." Balin consoled. Bilbo looked confused, which confused _me_ because I thought he knew what we were doing. Apparently not. "Time? For what?"

"To find the entrance. We have to be standing at exactly the right spot at exactly the right time. Then, and only then, can the door be opened." Balin explained. _Well, there goes our academic excuse._ "So this is your purpose, to enter the Mountain." Elrond stated. I frowned, remembering the Dragon. "What of it?" Thorin asked challengingly. Elrond replied coolly, "There are some who would not deem it wise."

Gruffly, Thorin took the map back. Gandalf frowned. "Who do you mean?" "You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle-Earth." The Elf replied with a knowing look, walking away. I took this time to speak up. "Uh, why are we going into the Mountain? In case you didn't see, there seems to be a _Dragon_ in there." Thorin shot me a nasty, dark glare. "Trust me, Miss Paige. I aware of the Dragon."

I frowned, watching as he stormed off. Looking to Gandalf, I hoped that he would tell me what's going on. Unfortuantely, the fellow Wizard was lost in thought, not any help to me. Bilbo had wandered off, leaving me to ask Balin. I didn't know the Dwarf really well yet, but he seemed kind and friendly enough. Balin smiled, as if he already knew what I was going to ask.

"I admire your stubborness, lass, but I'm not sure I'm the one to explain all this to you." I frowned. "Please, Balin. I'm almost completely out of the loop. If I'm to help, I need to know what we're doing." The Dwarf chuckled. "How can _you_ help us?" His words stung, making me scowl. "I can fight. I have _magic_ , Balin. I saved Kíli and Thorin's lives when we were running from the Wargs and Orcs. Isn't any of that proof enough? Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean that I can't do what you're doing. And if you don't...I'll put a really nasty hex on you." The Dwarf thought for a moment before, sighing and nodding. "Alright, lass. Come with me." We left Gandalf to his thoughts and wandered to an empty room, with me smiling slightly.

 _Third POV_

At the White Council meeting, consisting of Gandalf, Elrond, Saruman the White, and the Lady Galadriel, they were just finishing up their discussions about the Morgul blade when Lindir came in and bowed. Elrond looked up and asked, "What is it?" Lindir looked pale and a bit frightened. "The girl, Miss Paige. She is _Witch_."

Galadriel, Elrond, and Saruman looked sharply to the Gray Wizard. Gandalf didn't tear his eyes away from Lindir. "Go on. What makes you say this?" he said, giving nothing away in his voice. Lindir replied, "There was a fire in the fireplace and she took out a wand. She casted a verbal spell and distinguished the fire with water that came out of the wand."

Gandalf said nothing as the other three guardians took in this information. Elrond excused Lindir, leaving them to discuss Paige. "Did you know, Gandalf?" Saruman asked, his tone a bit accusatory. He shrugged innocently. "Well, she told us she was a _Wizard_ , but I have not yet witnessed her doing magic yet myself. Although, according to Master Kíli, she saved both his and Thorin's lives using wizardry when the Orc pack was persuing us."

Elrond raised an eyebrow. "And what does the Company think of her?" Gandalf frowned. "There are mixed impressions. Some, like Kíli and Bilbo, are growing fond of her. While others, like Thorin and Dwalin, do not trust her. In my opinion, I think she could be very helpful and beneficial to this quest." Galadriel cocked her head, taking in his words. "Mithrandir, she is a person, not a weapon. I do not believe it wise to bring her along. She is just a girl. However, _where_ she came from, that is more curious."

"She claims to come from another world. And I believe it. She does not act the way women act in Middle-Earth. Does not dress like them either nor, most importantly, holds the same values as them. Paige believes that she can do anything a male sets their mind to, and I don't see why not. She wants to be apart of the quest, if only Thorin allows it. I see her wanting to prove herself, but the Dwarves not giving her the chance."

"And you believe she could help? _Fight_?" Saruman asked. Gandalf nodded. "I do. I _have_ actually seen her fight. They can protect each other if it comes down to it." Elrond shot the Wizard a look. "What do you mean by that Gandalf? We still have much to talk about before, _if_ , we let them continue on their quest." Galadriel narrowed her eyes. " _They are leaving_." She said to Gandalf telepathically. " _Yes_." Gandalf replied. " _You knew_." Her tone wasn't an accusation, but an amused statement.

Gandalf nodded his head lightly, causing Galadriel to smile slightly. Footsteps were heard and again and Saruman stopped talking. Lindir appeared again, bowing. "My Lord Elrond; the Dwarves and Miss Paige, they've gone."

 _Paige's POV_ (What's going on before/during the Council meeting.)

We sat down in two chairs by the fireplace. Balin was about to start a fire, when I beat him to it, casting verbally without a wand, " _Incendio_." Balin jumped back, startled. "Sorry." I mumbled, bowing my head.

Back home, being a Witch/Wizard was normal, a gift. But here in Middle-Earth, all it did was make people be distrustful of me or be frightened of me. They saw it as an evil, something to fear. Balin patted my hand. "It's alright, Miss. It's just something we Dwarves have to get used to. It seems Bilbo and Gandalf already like you. Kíli and Fíli, too." he said kindly. I smiled smally. Balin pulled out a pipe and started to smoke, getting ready to tell me what was going on. I tried to keep a straight face as he smoked, filtering my air, and trying not to wrinkle my nose. Nobody smoked anymore back on Earth, so it was a weird experience for me. Balin started the tale and I listened intently.

"Many years ago, Durin's Folk had a great kingdom called Erebor under the Mountain. Thror, Thorin's grandfather was king during the time. We had great wealth and thriving trade. A city of Men, Dale, lied outside our walls and were our greatest ally. However, as our wealth grew, a gem was found. The Arkenstone, it was called. It was named the King's Jewel and Thror's most prized posession. However, in the years to come Thror fell under a Sickness and became obsessed with gold and all the other treasure Erebor had. He became greedy.

"Erebor was a dark place and yet darker days were to come with a corrupt king. A Dragon came and destroyed Dale, destroyed Erebor, taking its wealth for itself. Smaug was a great Dragon of the north, and like all Dragons craved treasure, which I'm sure you know. Now, this is where the feud between Elves and Dwarves heightened. Nobody really knows when it started at first, but this event made it even worse, as you've seen. Thranduil, King of the Mirkwood Realm, had come with an army, but had turned his back on us when we pleaded for help. He felt that it would be a waste of Elven blood if they were to aid us against Smaug. We were homeless, had nowhere to go. We wandered the wilderness for a very long time, never settling down.

"Thorin's hatred for Smaug and hatred for the Elves intensified as time passed. Now at one point, Moria, another Dwarf realm, had been overrun with Orcs. We had come to assist. It was a bloody battle, Miss Paige. So many Dwarves lost. The leader of the Moria Orcs, Azog the Defiler, had a mission that day. To cut off the line of Durin. Thror had gone to battle the Pale Orc, but had died. Thrain, Thorin's father, went mad with grief and despair when he saw his own father's head roll down the hill. I apologize if this is getting a bit gory.

"Thorin had wanted to go after the Pale Orc, but his father held him back. He, nor anybody else, never saw his father again. We presumed that he was dead, but Thorin looked amongst every body later on and never found it. When his father didn't come back, Thorin took on Azog next. He fought valiantly, but it looked as if he wasn't going to make it. Just as Azog was about to make the killing blow, Thorin took up an oak branch and used it as a shield. Hence the name 'Thorin Oakenshield'. He won the battle that day, succeeding in cutting the Orc's arm off. And we haven't seen him since, presumed to die of battle wounds. Our quest, is reclaim our homeland from Smaug."

My mouth fell, open taking in all this new information. A million thoughts rushed through my head. When I had processed everything I could in a few minutes, I asked, "But why now try and take the Mountain back? After all this time." Balin shrugged. "Gandalf felt it was time, and like you said earlier; we trust Gandalf. Or at least we should, we'd be fools if we didn't." The Dwarf stood up and stretched. "You should get some sleep now, Miss."

As Balin walked away, I called, "Thank you, Balin. And please, just call me Paige, no 'Miss'." He smiled and nodded. I stared into the fire, deep in thought. This was a dangerous quest. One I could die on if I wasn't careful. "What have you gotten yourself into, Paige?" I asked myself aloud, sighing.

There was a knock on the door and I jumped, only to see that it was Lindir. I relaxed and smiled at the Elf. "Oh, hello Lindir." His lips twitched into a faint smile, saying, "Lord Elrond has instructed me to show you to your sleeping quarters." I stood up from the comfy chair and turned to the fire, putting it out with magic. " _Aguamenti_."

I stood up and put my wand away, sighing when I saw Lindir's alarmed expression. "Yes, I'm a Wizard." He stared at me for a second before turning on his heel and walking away. I jogged after him to keep up. He brought me to a lovely room and walked away before I could thank him. I changed into a long, comfy nightdress when an Elf maid came in to take the clothes I wore today. "Your own clothes have been hung up in the closet." She said with a distant smile. I nodded and started to get ready for bed.

As I washed my face in a basin of cool water left for me, I wondered what my Dwarven/Hobbit companions were doing. As if on cue, I heard uproariously laughter and furrowed my eyebrows. Padding over to the window, I opened it, looking out to see them right below me on a terrace connected to their quarters. I frowned, wondering why I didn't have one, not that it really mattered. Bombur was on the floor and judging by the broken furniture, he had broken the seat he had sat on.

A small smile crept up my face, growing wider when I spotted what looked like sausages being cooked over a fire they made. _I guess that they got their meat after all._ I left the window slightly ajar as I walked to the bed in the room. I stopped, though, when I heard my name in their conversation. I walked back over to the window and opened it a bit further, wondering what they were saying.

"I think that we should leave her and the Hobbit here. They are usless to us." Dwalin suggested. Hurt welled up in my chest at his words. I was useless to them? Several other Dwarves grumbled in agreement and I felt tears forming in my eyes.

Since I met them no more than twenty-four hours ago, all I had been trying to do was show them that I was worthy of joining their quest, that I could do whatever they could. But every time, all they did was shut me down. "I'm not so sure we should leave them behind. Paige could be useful to us." Balin replied.

I felt hope in me, if a sliver. Balin was second-in-command, of sorts, to Thorin. He could maybe persuade them. "She's a Witch! A dabbler of evil!" Dori exclaimed. A few tears leaked out of my eyes and down my face as I sunk to the ground in front of the window. Every time I was called a Witch negatively, it felt as if I were being flogged, another time the whip cracked against my skin. "She saved my life! And Thorin's, as well! Does that count for nothing?!" Kíli retorted. There was more grumbling, none of which I could understand, when it all fell silent.

"Thorin." Balin addressed. He didn't say anything, leaving me to assume that he was thinking. "We take the Hobbit with us. Leave the girl behind. She was never meant to come with us." There were some agreements and some protests, but I broke out into sobs either way. I muffled them by hiding my face in my arms, but it didn't hurt any less.

If Mum were here instead of me, she'd be down there with the Dwarves arguing her right to be apart the Company. She'd show them how and why she was apart of Thorin & Company. Mum would gain the Dwarves respect in a heartbeat. They'd accept her in seconds. _But you're not Mum_ , a voice sneered in my head. _You're a burden; a_ Witch _. Mum would have a chance, if they knew who she was, they'd_ wish _she were here instead of you._

I tried to stop crying, wiping at my eyes. "Get some rest. We leave at first light." Thorin announced. An idea suddenly popped into my head when the door opened. The Elf maid came back, carrying the clothes I wore today, folded and washed. "Thank you." I said kindly after clearing my throat, getting into bed. The She-Elf nodded and left.

My wand, laying on the bedside table, fell into my hands as I casted a few charms to pack up my things for me. I was going with them, whether they liked it or not. I set a magical alarm for myself so I wouldn't miss the first light.


	8. 7- Hold Your Ground

When my alarm sounded, in my head, I sprung up from my bed, running to the window, the alarm shutting off automatically. The room and floor were freezing because I forgot to shut the window. I looked down and sighed in relief. The Dwarves were still sleeping. I changed into the clothes I came here in, packing my Elven clothing in my bag.

I redid my French braid and strapped my weapons to my body. I used to magic to clean up the room with magic. When I was leaving my room, dawn was just breaking. My body was still a bit tired, having to go on the little sleep I got and from my nap yesterday in the medical room.

I passed by the kitchen and grabbed three apples, unseen. On a whim, I charmed a pen to write a thank-you note to Elrond. I put two of the apples in my bag, which had the Undectatable Extension Charm laid on it, and bit into the other. With everything going to plan, I Disapparated to the bridge whence we took to get to Rivendell.

When my feet hit the ground, I sighed, breathing in the fresh, morning air. It was a bit chilly, but nothing I couldn't handle. I sat on a warming rock and ate my apple, waiting for the Company to come. I giggled when I imagined their reactions, suddenly sobering when I realized how angry Thorin was going to be. He didn't want me to come, yet here I was tagging along.

I took a few deep breaths, feeling queasy. Hopefully, I'd be able to stand my ground and the other Dwarves would stand with me. That was a big hopefully. I went through my apple, throwing the core in a clump bushes. My heart rate sped up when I heard footsteps and familiar, low voices. "Be on your guard; we're about to step over the edge of the Wild. Balin, you know these paths; lead on." Thorin ordered lowly. Balin replied, "Aye."

I held my breath as they came into view, still ten feet away and not seeing me yet. Bilbo, at the end of the party, looked back at Rivendell. Thorin snapped, "Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up." I gulped as they drew closer. _Great, Thorin already seems to be in a bad mood._ _This'll be fun._ Balin suddenly stopped, seeing me.

Everyone else stopped, too, staring at me in awe. I remembered last night and rage bubbled in me. I put my hands behind my head and forced myself to grin. "Why have we stopped? Let me through." Thorin demanded, moving his way to the front. When he saw me, he stopped dead, stunned. I waved to him. "Oh, hello there, Thorin! I see you've finally showed up. I believe we were supposed to leave _by_ dawn, not an hour _after_ dawn."

Pure fury consumed his face. "What in the name of Durin are you doing here?" he yelled. Fear gripped my heart, but I played it off as if he didn't scare me. Fueled by my own anger, I continued to grin widely. "What in the name of Durin am I doing here? Why, isn't it obvious? I'm helping you reclaim Erebor, _in the name of Durin_!" I replied cheekily, mocking him with a deep voice.

He grabbed me by the collar of my jacket and threw me to my feet. Pointing back to Rivendell, he commanded in my face, "Go back to Rivendell! We don't need anymore magic-wielders on this quest!" I stood my ground, crossing my arms. All joking was now set aside. "No." I said firmly. Thorin looked like he wanted to beat the shit out of me, but wouldn't because I was a girl.

"GO BACK TO RIVENDELL." he bellowed in my face. I don't know how or why, but my fear of Thorin suddenly dissipated. I stared at him and calmly shook my head. "No." His chest heaved up and down in anger and I decided to plead my case some more. "You are trying to slay a Dragon, Thorin. Dragons are powerful, magical beasts. You need to fight magic with magic. I _studied_ Dragons a bit when I was at school. My Uncle Harry _fought_ a Dragon once when he was young and lived to tell the tale! I've heard the story many times, so many I know it by heart. I know what I'm doing, Thorin. Don't turn me down because I'm a girl. I can do any damn thing a boy can do. And besides, you need as many warriors as you can get. _Let me help you_."

Everyone looked to the Dwarf leader, wondering what his verdict would be. He groaned, burying his face in his hands. When he looked up, he glared at me and said, "If you want to come, then come. But if I hear one complaint out of your mouth you are gone. Got it?" My face broke out into a wide grin. "Alrighty then, thanks Thorin." Kíli, Fíli, Bilbo, and Balin all grinned at me as we moved out. Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought it would be. At least I had a few allies.

We traveled on foot for days, no sign of Gandalf yet. I wondered what he was doing, if the Wizard was being held up by the Council or if he was off somewhere. Who knew. My feet ached, but I said nothing of it, reminded of Thorin's warning. When night fell, Thorin had us stop at a relatively safe place. I sighed as I collasped on the ground.

I rested my head against my knees, focusing on my breathing. Ironically enough, I only did get a second to breathe when I was ushered to my feet and sent to help out with settling for the night. With my bag saving me a spot for later, I followed Bofur and Bifur to collect firewood. I watched, curious, when Bifur did a series of hand gestures to Bofur that I didn't understand. Bofur nodded to his cousin and said, "That looks like a good amount of wood, Bifur. Why don't you go back to the camp. Bombur will be needin' it to cook dinner."

As Bifur passed by me, my eyes widened when I saw _an axe_ sticking out of his head. I whipped around and looked to Bofur, who watched me somberly. "What...what happened?" I whispered, not really sure what to say. Bofur sighed and watched his cousin's retreating back. "The Orc axe in his skull has been mostly removed, but the healers could not get all of it out without killing him. He lives, but is unable to communicate in the Common Tongue. Those hand gestures you saw is Iglishmek, Dwarvish sign language."

I frowned, picking up another stick for the fire. "Poor Bifur. It must be hard." I said softly, not wanting to offend Bofur in any way. The cheery Dwarf's mouth quirked into a half-smile. "Better get back before Bombur starts complaining about the lack of wood." I nodded and followed him back to the camp.

Everyone was gathered around the fire, smoking or talking quietly amongst themselves in groups. I spotted Thorin sharpening Orcrist in a secluded corner, looking very ominous. Dwalin and Balin were huffing with laughter while having a cheerful conversation with Fíli and Kíli. Dori was watching his brother Ori draw something on his sketchpad while Nori sat nearby, listening while sharpening a small knife. Óin was having his good ear talked off by Glóin, rolling his eyes at the eagerness his brother had. Bombur was cooking something over the fire with Bifur and Bofur to keep him company.

I sat down beside Bilbo, who had been staring out into the wilderness with a thoughtful look. Sighing, I leaned back against the rock and looked over at the Hobbit. "Hi." I greeted. Bilbo offered me a small smile. "Hello." he replied. I bit my lip, desperately trying to think of something to talk about with him. "So, I don't think I've heard yet how you got roped into this quest. I haven't known you long, Bilbo, but something tells me you didn't volunteer for this."

He snorted, rolling his eyes. "Far from it. It's all Gandalf's fault. He gave my address to thirteen Dwarves and didn't bother to warn me. Imagine my surprise when they all show up one night. They ransacked my pantry, destroyed my plumbing, and I won't even tell you what they did with my doilies." I chuckled, unable to help myself. "You have _doilies_? Good grief, Bilbo. Doilies are an ancient thing where I'm from."

The Hobbit raised his eyebrows at me. "What are they used for in your world?" I cocked my head, replying, "Well, mostly for decoration. I don't actually know what their function was in older days." Bilbo sniffed, his chin held high. "Well in the Shire, all the Hobbits have doilies and they are a perfectly respectable thing to have, thank you very much."

A smile crept up my face. "Tell me about this Shire of yours. What's it like?" Bilbo spent the next thirty minutes giving me a very in-depth explanation of what the Shire was like. My smile turned into a grin at some times because the glimmer of excitement in his eyes and the nostalgic smile on his face cheered me up. I leaned back against the rock. "One day, I would like to visit Bag End and get a grand tour of the Shire from you. Whadda ya say? I promise I won't eat all your food and destroy your plumbing."

Bilbo laughed heartily and stuck his hand out at me. "It's a deal." I grinned at him, laughing myself, and shook his hand. Bombur then announced that dinner was ready and all the Dwarves shot up from the ground and formed a line, everyone's hands twitching for a bowl. Bilbo and I stayed put, watching as the Company let Thorin cut the entire line and get his food first, Kíli and Fíli following him.

For me, that was really interesting and telling of Dwarven culture. Though everyone was friends, they still let Thorin go first with the youngest going second and third. It showed that these rowdy, grumpy boys still had a sense of humility and respect for their leaders. As the line was thinning, I looked over at Bilbo and nodded towards Bombur. "Go get some food, you must be starving."

The Hobbit frowned slightly. "Aren't you coming?" I shook my head, despite the fact that I was really hungry. I wasn't even supposed to be here in the first place, which meant another mouth to feed and the food supply dwindling faster than they had anticipated. "Nah, I'm not that hungry. I'll catch you later, yeah?" Bilbo shrugged and stood up, marching over to Bombur and his wonderful-smelling pot of food.

Scooting backwards so that the darkness hid me slightly in the shadows, I pulled out one of my apples I nicked from Rivendell. I felt like I could've eaten twelve apples, but I forced myself to eat it slowly. It was going to be my only food until lunch tomorrow, when I'll finish off my apple supply. When I was done, I threw the apple core in a clump of bushes and scooted back into the firelight.

By now, everyone was silent, too occupied with eating their dinner. When everyone was done eating, they all starting smoking and talking again. I leaned against the rock Bilbo and I had been resting against, listening to the words of the Company and trying to filter my air. Bilbo padded his way over to me with two bowls of soup in hand. I gave him a wary look. "Bilbo." I warned.

"Paige." Bilbo replied, evenly, forcing the bowl into my hands. I scowled at him, watching as he plopped back down next to me. "Eat. You need to keep your strength up. I rolled my eyes, setting the bowl down in front of me and away from me. "Ifth ur noft gona eafth at." Kíli called through a mouthful of soup. I wrinkled my nose at him, disgusted. "Pardon?"

He swallowed and repeated, "If you're not going to eat that." I looked down at the untouched soup. "Oh! Yeah, go ahead. It's yours." Absentmindedly, I flicked my hand and the bowl levitated, floating towards the Dwarf. Everyone watched with wide eyes as the bowl poured its contents into Kíli's bowl. After digging around in my bag, I looked up to see incredulous and suspicious looks being sent my way.

Thorin, eyes narrowed, pushed the bowl away from the younger Dwarf, his eyes never leaving my form. I swallowed hard and looked away, busying myself with getting ready for bed. I think I'd upset them with my magic enough for one day.

Using my bag as a pillow, I laid down somewhat near the fire, trying to go to bed. I coughed and turned so that my back faced the fire and the Company. The smoke was choking me. I buried my nose in my sleeve and shut my eyes, willing sleep to take me.

It didn't really work out, though. I ended up sleeping for only an hour or two. When everyone had finally fallen asleep, some of the Dwarves' snoring kept me up. Sleeping on the ground, I could handle that. But snoring? I was a goner. I tossed and turned and tried a couple spells to help me, but nothing worked.

When exhaustion finally knocked me out, it felt like it had been ten minutes of rest before Thorin was waking us all up again. I had to march the rest of the day feeling like a zombie. Sometimes, Bilbo or Kíli would try to converse with me, but I politely got them to go away. It was lucky that Thorin left me alone or else I would've exploded. This was going to be a long journey.


	9. Songs and Stories

On Night 5, we took a break for the night, resting in a grove of trees, safely protected from the oncoming rainstorm. Everyone was exhausted, too tired to make a fire though it was cold. Sighing, I gathered some dry wood and pulled out my wand. The Dwarves shifted uneasily except for Balin. " _Incendio_." I murmured, sparking a fire. They jumped back, waiting for something bad to happen. "Take off your shoes and dry them by the fire." I ordered, getting up from my crouch and walking to the borders of our camp. Surprisingly, when I looked over my shoulder, they were all doing as I said, even Thorin.

I watched the dark clouds for a moment, before starting to place protective enchantments around us. The other nights, I was too tired to make them and risked it. Tonight, however, it was time to take precautions as we continued to make our journey. I set to work quickly, feeling the Company's eyes on me. " _Protego Totalum. Salvio Hexia. Cave Inimicum. Fianto Duri. Protego Horribilis. Protego Maxima. Repello Inimicum. Muffliato. Repello Inimigotum_."

Bilbo sidled up to me and watched. "What are you doing?" he asked, curiously. I walked across our small camp ground and started working on the other side. "Placing protective enchantments around the camp. That way we don't need any nightwatches." Thorin raised his eyebrows. "And why are you telling us this _now_?" I looked over at him, shooting him a pointed glance, and replied coolly, "I thought you'd want to do things _your_ way."

He didn't say anything, eyes narrowed. When the enchantments were placed, we were surrounded in a clear, but visible bubble. However on the outside you wouldn't be able to see a thing. Bombur, who was warming up by the fire suddenly asked, hopeful, "Can you cook, too?" I looked over my shoulder at the Dwarves, most of them holding hope in their facial expressions.

I sighed, walking over to the bag containing our food supply. "Alright." Some of the Dwarves cheered. Thorin's expression, however, was unreadable. Though I was really tired, desperately wanting to sit down and nap, like the Dwarves were doing, I started to skin some of the animals the Dwarves had caught hunting yesterday. I was still pissed that they hadn't allowed me to go. Bilbo came over and joined me, watching me work in silence.

I looked over at him, laughing as he started to turn green. "You don't have to be here, Bilbo. Come back when I'm not skinning animals." He nodded and took off immediately. I chuckled, returning to my work. As I worked, I called out to the Dwarves, who were talking quietly amongst themselves about what they thought I was going to make. "Just so you lot know, I'm not your maid or your mum, so don't expect me to clean up after you or tuck you into bed."

They laughed, including Bilbo. Even Thorin smirked slightly from his spot. Another person dropped down next to me, watching me work. It was Fíli. "Hi, Fíli." I greeted, not looking up from my animal. "Hello. Need any help?" I smiled and replied, "I'm good thanks, though truthfully, I would like the company." He nodded, sending us into silence.

I set the slab of meat over the fire and started on a second and final one. Dwarves ate a lot, but I had to ration, so I was cutting them all down. Fíli looked at my work and his eyes almost popped out of his head. "You know how to skin, too? And you're thorough! I'd have bet you would be sick at the idea and ask for help!" I chuckled. "Well, I'm not like most girls."

Fíli shook his head, watching me skin. "Indeed. Who taught you all these skills?" My grin faltered. I replied in a softer tone, "My mother. She taught me and my siblings basically everything we know." I cleared my throat and looked over at the Dwarf, smiling a bit. He frowned. "I'm sorry, is she dead?"

I realized how what I said sounded and shook my head. "Oh no, I didn't mean it like that. She's not dead, I just miss her is all." Fíli nodded, understanding. "I miss mine, too. I know she's probably worrying about us. Especially Kíli." I looked over at his said younger brother, who was laughing with the boys by the fire, his pipe in hand. "He can be very reckless sometimes and it's very worrisome as an older brother."

I nodded, putting my knife down. "I'm the youngest of four and am constantly watched over by my older siblings, especially my eldest brother Peter. I guess I can have a wild streak sometimes and it's pretty terrifying for my family. I really like to horseback ride and one time I tried to jump something much too high for me and my horse. It was insane, I don't know why I thought I could do it. My mum had told me quite sternly no, but I tried anyway. And just before the jump, my horse stopped and I went flying and hit my head really hard on the jump itself."

Fíli winced at the image and I laughed a little. "It hurt _a lot_ and I had to go to the hospital. I couldn't ride for the rest of the summer so I had to wait until a holiday from school to go riding again." Fíli shook his head. "Oh, my." I returned to my skinning. "Yeah...Has Kíli ever done anything stupid like that?" Fíli laughed heartily. "I can think of _many_ times when my brother did something stupid."

A smile crept up my face. "Like what?" Fíli launched into a story that made me put the knife down before I cut myself from laughing so much. We burst into hysterics that drew the eyes of the whole camp. Kíli watched us skeptically. "Brother, what did you say?" he asked nervously. I took a few deep breaths, chuckling, and replied, "Oh, nothing. He was just telling me a story."

Kíli's face turned bright red and he pointed his finger acussing at Fíli. "You did _not_ tell her about the Hot Spring Incident." We started laughing again. "I-I didn't know it had a name." I crowed. Kíli groaned and stomped off, leaving us to laugh some more. I picked up my knife, checking on the other meat and finished off the last one. I gritted my teeth when the knife slipped and cut my hand, quickly dropping the meat on the fire before standing up. "Shit." I murmured.

Fíli frowned. "What is it?" I grabbed my knife and started walking away. "I just cut myself is all. I'm going to go clean it up." "Do you need any assistance?" I shook my head and grabbed a bucket. "I'll be okay, thanks. Might as well go collect some water while I'm at it." I broke through the barrier and walked out, looking behind me to see nothing but trees. _Good, the enchantments worked._

I walked quickly and quietly to the river, my sword at my side. I knelt down by the river bed and cleaned my bloody hand, cringing at the cold water and the sting. I dried it off and applied an herbal paste to it, then wrapping it. Not only did I have my mother's lily tea, I also had some medicines that could help in some injury cases.

The truth, however, was that I wasn't going to use the water from the river. I pulled out my wand and casted, " _Aguamenti_." Clean drinking water poured out of my wand and into the bucket. I was trying to ease everyone into my magical abilities easily, not hit them all at once. Key word: trying.

Sighing, I stood up and made my way back to the camp. Thankfully, I made it back without a hitch and broke through the barrier. I set the water down and went back to cooking. Twenty minutes later, everything was set. I pointed to Fíli and said, "Can you get everyone to go wash their hands? We may be in the Wild, but we're not savages." He chuckled and stood up, directing everyone to do so.

Everyone came back, starving. I served everyone equal portions, groaning when we finally got to eat. The food wasn't bad and I felt proud to have served _fourteen_ people, fifteen if I included myself. Surprisingly, I was thanked and given compliments on my food and told that I was wanted to cook again. My heart felt warm and fuzzy at the cooking compliments. Even Thorin seemed to be less grouchy after a warm, cooked meal.

We all sat around the fire, exhausted and full of food. Most of the Dwarves had returned to their smoking, Bilbo looking as if he wished he had his own pipe. I tended to stay away from the smokers slightly only because I still found it hard to breathe since I wasn't used to it. But it was getting easier to be around them. I looked over at Bofur and asked, "Got any songs up your sleeve?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't understand the meaning of that phrase, but a few songs would do us some good!" I smiled, eager to hear some more singing.

Bofur seemed to be the main singer of the group, because he took the lead on most of the songs they sung. He started the first song off, the others, even Thorin, slowly singing along. I was entranced by the song, it's lyrics being sung by the Dwarves' low, melodic voices. Suprisingly, Bilbo seemed to sort of know the song, too, for he was humming the tune along with them beside me.

" _A king he was on carven throne_

 _In many-pillared halls of stone_

 _With golden roof and silver floor,_

 _And runes of power upon the door._

 _The light of sun and star and moon_

 _In shining lamps of crystal hewn_

 _Undimmed by cloud or shade of night_

 _There shone forever fair and bright._

 _The world is grey, the mountains old,_

 _The forge's fire is ashen-cold;_

 _No harp is wrung, no hammer falls:_

 _The darkness dwells in Durin's halls;_

 _The shadow lies upon his tomb_

 _In Moria, in Khazad-dûm_

 _But still the sunken stars appear_

 _In dark and windless Mirrormere;_

 _There lies his crown in water deep,_

 _'Till Durin wakes again from sleep._ "

I sat there in awe. Bofur grinned at me and turned to Thorin, the other Dwarves following him. The Dwarf leader rolled his eyes and nodded. Bofur looked over at me and said cheerfully, "You can't be on this quest and not hear this song at least once, Miss Paige." The Dwarves started their song, humming, while Thorin took the lead.

" _Far over the misty mountains cold_

 _To dungeons deep and caverns old_

 _We must away ere break of day_

 _To find our long-forgotten gold._

 _The pines were roaring on the height_

 _The winds were moaning in the night_

 _The fire was red, it flaming spread_

 _The trees like torches blazed with light_."

I slowly grinned when they were done, absolutely in love with the songs they sung. "That was beautiful. And much better now that you're not smashing plates and throwing food around. You should've seen the Elves' faces, though. They were absolutely horrified." The Dwarves had a laugh at the idea. Óin leaned forward and asked, "How about you sing us something from your world, lass? Can't imagine that they sing the same kind of songs we do."

I snorted, thinking of songs that would _kill_ this Company from shock. "Well, go on then!" Fíli teased. I glared at him and crossed my arms. "Maybe another time." The Dwarves and Bilbo seemed surprisingly disappointed by my decline. "I'll hold you to that promise." Kíli scowled, pouting. I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the rock. "Whatever."

"How about you tell us a story then? And make it a good one!" Glóin grumbled with a laid-back smile. My eyes widened. "A story? Man, first a meal and now a story? My, aren't you a demanding lot." I chuckled, stopping though when they weren't laughing, looking a bit guilty. "Guys, I was kidding. Just a joke...Okay then...Give me a second to think of one. And I'll make it a true one." I tapped my chin for a bit, trying to come up with something. When I had one, I was a little nervous to tell it, but I started anyway.

"Okay, I got one. _A very, very long time ago, there was darkness. The darkness lasted for who knows how long, just a very long time. There was no good or evil in this darkness, in fact, there was nothing there. Just darkness. Then, one day, a Lion, and I say this with a capital letter because this Lion was special, came to the darkness. It was a powerful, magical, good creature. A guardian._ "

My story was interrupted when Fíli asked, "What's a lion?" I furrowed my eyebrows, looking around to everyone. No one seemed to know what it was. "Huh, I'm sorry. I would've explained what one is if I had known there aren't any in Middle-Earth. Strange. A lion is an animal with a great mane and roars very loudly. Like a big cat. Back to the story. _Now this Lion was not just any Lion. It was a Talking Lion named Aslan."_

I was interrupted again by guffaws. "You said this would be true! Lions-most animals-can't talk!" Dwalin protested. I scowled at him. "Just let me tell the dang story and I'll explain." I looked around, waiting for anymore comments before I continued. " _And in this darkness, the Lion began to sing the most beautiful song._ (Don't ask me what it was, I have no clue.) _From the song, a world was born, along with animals and Dwarves and Fauns and Centaurs and trees and flowers. The world was beautiful and Aslan named it Narnia. And when He greeted the animals, He granted some of them the ability to talk, too. A man and a woman were present for this, and named King and Queen of Narnia by Aslan Himself. Narnia prospered and thrived for nine hundred years._

" _It was then, a Witch, a very powerful one, named Jadis swooped in with an army and usurped the King and Queen and took Narnia for herself, creating an eternal winter. The Narnians were kept prisoners in their own land, no help was to be found in the other countries of the world, a world of Men. During the enternal winter, there was prophecy foretold that went a like this:_

'Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,

At the sound of His roar, sorrows will be no more,

When He bares his teeth, winter meets its death,

And when He shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.

When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone,

Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,

The evil time will be over and done.'

 _"Basically, what this was saying that two boys and two girls would come to Narnia from another world and restore peace when Aslan returned. Now, this is key to know: Narnia had no men or women, at least not since its rulers were killed. All of the Narnians were Talking Animals, Dwarves, Fauns, and Centuars. So the thought of humans in Narnia was ludicrous._

 _"But when the time came, the four siblings fufilled the prophecy._ (Sorry, spoiler alert.) _Their names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie. However, they did not do it alone. Though Aslan came back, He sacrificed Himself and was killed by Jadis for Edmund, who was labeled a traitor. When he first came to Narnia, by himself, he had met the Witch, who charmed him into thinking her intentions were pure._

 _"Edmund realized his mistakes later on and deeply regretted them for the rest of his life. This, was where Aslan's secret weapon came in. A sixteen-year-old girl named Laurel Collins. She was a Wizard attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the school that in my community is where we all go to from ages eleven to seventeen. But she was not an ordinary Wizard. She had a necklace that gave her extraordinary powers, none could match her power. Aslan had trained her Himself with swords and bows, positioning her as the General for the army._

 _"Her fighting skills, as they grew and blossomed, became famous after they had defeated the Witch. Aslan returned from the dead by a powerful magic. Though, Laurel never told anyone about her magic save for Aslan, she worried that if the others, whom she'd grown fond of, particularly Peter, found out, that they'd think of her the same as Jadis and kill her._

 _"And for fifteen years, she stood as General beside her friends as they became the rulers of Narnia, bringing the country into what was known as the Golden Age of Narnia. And through those years, she distanced herself from the others, feeling burdened and guilty by hiding such a large part of herself. Laurel grew scared, especially when she fell in love with Peter, the High King."_

I stopped for a moment, catching my breath, and smiling slightly at the tale. " _When fifteen years had gone by, Laurel and the Pevensies had grown up. But Fate decided to play a cruel trick on them all. One day, when the royals were hunting a White Stag, a_ _creature that could grant your wishes if caught, they were sent back to Earth, separated from Laurel._

 _"She grew heavy-hearted as the weight of the country fell to her shoulders, but it could not be beared by her. An army of Men, whom the Narnians didn't like much,_ (I don't like them either from what I've been told) _, came and marched on Cair Paravel's soil, starting a war. Narnians were slaughtered, but those who survived, retreated to the woods. Laurel did not retreat nor surrender, thrown in the castle's dungeons, left to rot._

 _"Once again, Narnia was usurped by foes. However, Laurel did not rot in the dungeons, using her magic to break out of the cell. She was surprised, though, to be thrown back to Earth, to Hogwarts. And for a year, she suffered through being sixteen again, thrown back into her sixteen-year-old body, but thirty-one in mind. You see, any time passed in Narnia did not have any affect on Earth's time. The moment you returned, it was as if you never left. But, as Laurel was about to learn, any amount of time could pass in Narnia while she was on Earth. There was no way to tell._

 _"When a year has passed, just graduating from Hogwarts, she returned to Narnia. And to her surprise, hundreds of years had passed since she had been there last. Everyone she knew was dead and everything looked a bit different with the time that had passed. Unfortunately, the men who had taken her newfound home still had control over Narnia, Narnians believed to be extinct._

 _"As it turned out, the Pevensies were called back to Narnia, too, to try and take back Narnia. This time around, they received help from the Prince, Caspian, who turned out to be good. And, Laurel finally plucked up the courage and revealed her magic to Narnia and the Narnians, which resulted badly at first, but turned out alright in the end. In fact, the confession brought 'High King' Peter and Laurel together._

 _"After a great battle against the Men, Narnia was freed once more from its usurpers, Narnians and some Telmarines living together in harmony. Caspian was crowned King of Narnia and ruled fairly and justly. Laurel even made some new friends along the way like Trumpkin the Dwarf, Trufflehunter the Badger, Glenstorm the Centaur, and Reepicheep the Mouse._

 _"But sadly, it was time for them to go home, and the eldest Pevensies, Susan and Peter, had grown up, no longer able to come to Narnia. It broke both Peter and Laurel's hearts, but they were able to find each other in the Muggle world, the non-magic world/Earth, and lived happily together."_

I watched the party's reactions, seeing the "knowingness" in their eyes. They thought that I was going to end the story with "And they lived happily ever after." Oh, what a surprise they were about to get. _"However, their happiness did not last long. The time came for the Pevensies and some of their friends-others who had had adventures in Narnia, too-to finally live their next adventure, death. Laurel greeted them at the gates to Aslan's Country, the afterlife, so to speak, and watched them leave. She had had the option to join them, her lover, but had not taken the offer, thinking of her family, how they needed her._

 _"And so Seven of the Eight Friends of Narnia joined their old friends and family in eternal paradise, leaving Laurel with a broken heart. Though heavy-hearted, once again, she was able to find love again, marrying a wonderful man named Jamie. As the two of them got older, they had four kids._

 _"Peter, their eldest was a kind, loving, and compassionate person, protective older brother, smart in school, and able to wield a sword almost as well as Laurel. The next oldest, Teresa (but preferred Tessa) was clever herself and prided herself on her love of books, but was even more passionate about archery, knive-throwing, and horseback riding. The third oldest was Joshua, or Josh. He too was very smart, but focused more on his swordfighting more often than not on school. He also had a great love for the game of_ _Qudditch_ (...I'm not even going to try and explain it to you...) And _then there was the youngest, me, Paige. Growing up, the youngest child of Laurel, Paige Fawley, had always been fascinated by her mother's tales of going on adventures in another world, in a country called Narnia. Wishing she could have an adventure of her own, Fate decided to grant her just that._

 _"Like her siblings, she enjoyed school very much, but preferred fighting and horseback riding over Potions and Astronomy. Laurel continued to teach them all she knew, not knowing that she was preparing her youngest for the adventure of a lifetime, the chance to journey to another world, this one called Middle-Earth. The End."_

I finished my story, out of breath. There was silence for a bit, everyone soaking in my mum's life story. I didn't know why I had chosen to tell it, it was an interesting story and I had nothing better to tell, I guess. The others, now looked up at me with different looks. Some wore expressions of curiousity, intrigue, while others wore incredulity or astonishment on their faces.

I bit back a smile, seeing Kíli's jaw slack, his wide eyes reminding me of a puppy. I think I had blown his mind. "What kind of story was that?! It was so sad and depressing. She never got to be with the king." he exclaimed. I pursed my lips, quoting from Madeline Miller's _The Song of Achilles,_ an old, but good book, "'Name one hero who was happy.'" The Dwarf frowned at me.

Balin piped up, asking, "Your father knows of this story...how your mother used to love another man?" I shifted awkwardly in my seat, grimacing. "He doesn't know the full details, nor does he need to. To be honest, I'm the only one Mum ever told the full story to. I guess it was too painful to talk about. Now don't get me wrong, my parents love each other very much, but I can tell that my mother's heart still reaches out to Peter, though he's dead."

Thorin, who was surprisingly listening, noted, "You look up to her." Something struck a chord in me, not in a bad way, when he said this. I looked over at him, thinking about how he must've looked up to Thror, his grandfather, ex-King Under the Mountain. It must've been hard to watch him go mad from the Dragon Sickness, one that affected his father, too. I betted that it still haunted him, reminding him to be better than his ancestors. When I thought of it, Thorin and my mother had a lot in common. Both had their homes taken from them, both were very brave and showed courage, both could fight.

I looked away, into the fire, my mouth quirking into a half-smile. "Yeah, I do. She's unlike any other person I've ever met or ever will. She's so... _strong..._ and I try to take after her in that sense. I know I'm not as powerful as my mother, but I will try my best, whether with magic or a sword, to aid you as best to my abilities."

Fíli reached over and squeezed my shoulder. "You're one of us now, Paige. Not your mother, _you_." I smiled widely at the ground, my stomach feeling all warm and fuzzy. That's all I wanted, to be accepted. And here it was, being served on a silver platter. And let me tell you, everything tastes good on a silver platter. "He's right, you know." Bofur nodded, smoking his pipe. The Company, for the most part, nodded in agreement, too.

I stood up, dusting my hands on my pants. "Alright now, I think it's time for us to get to bed. We have a long day of walking ahead of us." "Alright, _Mother_." Kíli joked. I glowered, telling him to shut up. Pulling out my thin blanket from my bag, I rested my head upon my bag and tried to fall asleep, a smile upon my face.


	10. 9- Goblins

For two more weeks, we trudged through Middle-Earth before reaching the Misty Mountains. It'd been raining for the past three days, with an even larger storm to come. Today we were about to start crossing the Misty Mountains.

The terrain was difficult, hard to climb over because of all the jagged rocks and uneven slopes. Once again it was a lot of open space and we were lucky to find a sheltered place when night fell. As we started to travel through the mountains on narrow paths, several times people almost fell and died. It got cold, too, forcing all of us huddle together to not freeze to death. It also got wet. The storm hadn't hit us yet, but there was showers that warned us of the unpleasant weather to follow. By mid-afternoon, we were all soaking wet, shivering as the damned wind blew by us. I shoved my ice-cold hands deeper into my jacket, trying to keep them from getting frostbite and falling off.

"T-Thorin, we n-need to st-start a fire or we'll all d-die of c-c-cold!" I shouted, stuttering. He looked back at me and pondered over the situation. He shook his head and kept moving. "We do not have time to stop, Miss Paige!" I sighed and trudged on, cursing the fact that he had three or so more layers on than me.

Kíli moved backwards in the line and to me. "Are you alright? Your face is white as snow!" My chapped lips formed a thin smile. "I-I'll be f-fine." I stuttered. Kíli's eyes brightened up with an idea as he reached into his bag, pulling out a spare cloak. "Here, take this." I gave him a look. "K-Kíli, that's v-very kind of you, but I'll be okay, t-thanks." He wrapped me up in it, ignoring my protests, and then moved forward with the group.

I wrapped the olive green fabric around me tighter and sighed. For someone who was shorter than me, he was a little more than a head shorter than me, the cloak fit nicely, if a bit small. The fabrics Dwarves used to make clothing was _very_ warm and comfy. "Thanks." He smiled. "It matches your eyes." I chuckled and looked down at the fabric. It kind of did match my hazel eyes.

Because of "our" nonstrategic thinking, and by "our" I mean Thorin's, we still had to continue walking when night fell because we weren't anywhere near a place that we could provide us shelter. Which meant no rest. By what I thought was eleven at night, I felt like a zombie. Kíli nudged me when we came across a stable area. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, hiding a yawn. "Yup, I'm good. You?" He didn't bother to hide his own yawn, making _me_ yawn again. I looked up to see the rain coming down harder. _Here comes that big_ _storm_. I groaned internally, watching thunder, lightning, and wind add effects _nobody_ appreciated. "Hold on!" Thorin called as the wind swept through us, making it hard to hold onto the ledge of the very unstable area we were suddenly crossing into.

My eyes almost popped out of my head when Bilbo fell off the ledge. Luckily Dwalin caught him just in time. "We must find shelter!" Thorin shouted, sending relief through me. "That's the best idea he's had yet!" I shouted to Kíli over the wind, who was behind me. He grinned and laughed. Or at least, I assumed. The wind was so loud I couldn't hear anything anyone said unless they shouted.

"Watch out!" Dwalin bellowed. We all looked up to see a gianormous boulder flying through the air and crashing down against the mountainside above our heads. Big and small bits of rock fell, leaving us to press ourselves tightly against the mountain. "This is no thunderstorm; it's a thunder battle! Look!" Balin called, pointing.

I looked in the direction he was pointing to see a huge figure made of rock stand up, ripping off a piece of a nearby mountain. "Well bless me, the legends are true. Giants; Stone Giants!" Bofur exclaimed. My open fell open as I watched it stomp forward. "Take cover: you'll fall!" Thorin shouted. I gripped the rock behind me tightly, Kíli next to me on one side and Dori on the other. "What's it doing?" I screamed to Kíli.

He didn't reply because the Giant threw the boulder at another Giant, behind us. I looked over to see the Giant get hit in the head by the boulder, sent backwards. I held on for dear life as rock was broken off underneath us and above us. We were standing on a third one. Our Giant's feet were broken from one to two, splitting our group in half between Kíli and Fíli.

"Kíli! Grab my hand! Kí-" Fíli shouted desperately to his little brother before the seperation grew too far to hop between the Giant's legs. The first Giant came closer and started a fist fight with ours. The rock beneath us shook and rattled, making it hard to hold on. The other group on the other leg, carrying Fíli and Thorin, got rammed into a safe area and ran off the leg before it was used again.

Then, the second Giant appeared and joined in on ganging up on our Giant. It threw a boulder at ours' head, decapitating it. Our leg swung forward and was about to be smashed into a wall of rock not far from the others. I spotted a thin ledge and shouted, "We have to jump! Ready? One...two...three!" Together, we jumped off the Giant's knee and fell into the mountainside, climbing to safe nooks and crannies just as the knee rammed into us. I protected my face as we were pressed against the mountain. The pressure made it hard to breathe and it was lucky that I was not claustrophobic, or else those few seconds would've been terrifying. But ifwe had stayed on, we would've been smushed.

When the pressure stopped, the Giant fell down the chasm below us. "No! No! Kíli!" Thorin bellowed from yards away. They ran across a narrow pathway. Thorin paused at the corner, sighing with relief when he found us, found Kíli, all in one piece.

Kíli, next to me on the ground, asked, "Are you alright?" I nodded, breathing heavily, and rested my head against the ground. "Yeah, I think I'm warmed up now." Kíli laughed and got up, helping me stand. "We're all right! We're alive!" Balin cried. I leaned against my knees, biting back a few groans. I could feel bruises forming and a few cuts stinging. _Yup, I'm going to feel all this ten times worse in the morning._

Throin rushed forward and grabbed the youngest Dwarf and crushed him in a hug, Fíli taking his place when he let go. It was a nice moment, it showed a bit of Thorin's softer side, which I didn't know exsisted. He obviously cared for Kíli and it was sweet, though I was a little confused why he would show such favoritism.

Bofur looked around, suddenly exclaiming, "Where's Bilbo? Where's the Hobbit?" Ori spotted little fingers and raced to the edge. "There!" "Get him!" Dwalin shouted. He slid to the edge of the cliff and tried to grab Bilbo's arm, who slipped and caught another holding below. The Dwarves continued to try and retrieve the Hobbit, with no avail. Thorin finally swung down, holding onto the edge of the cliff next to Bilbo, and with the help of the Dwarves hauled him back up only to slip and almost fall himself.

After a few tries, Dwalin pulled Thorin back up, everyone finally safe, for now. "I thought we'd lost our burglar." Dwalin chuckled. Thorin glowered at Bilbo, spitting, "He's been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us. Dwalin!"

I scowled at Thorin as he passed me, who stopped and glared at me. " _Now_ what do you want?" I stared the Dwarf down, quite literally, and retorted, "I know our situation sucks right now, we're all cold and tired and wet, Thorin. But that doesn't mean you have the right to take out your misery on Bilbo. He doesn't deserve your spiteful words. So just leave him alone."

Thorin stared at me for a moment before walking away and into the mountain, where a cave lied. "It looks safe enough." Balin shrugged, sitting down. Thorin, wanting to be safe, ordered, "Search to the back; caves in mountains are seldom unoccupied." We looked around for a bit before finding nothing. No trace of anyone inhabiting the place. We were safe. I sighed with relief and sat down against the wall, catching a real break for the first time in hours. "There's nothing here." Dwalin restated what Balin said.

Gloin dropped a bunch of logs, looking to me. "Right then! Let's get a fire started." I was just about to pull my wand out, too tired to think logically, when Thorin stopped us. "No. No fires, not in this place. Get some sleep. We start at first light." I mentally groaned. First light was in three hours max. "We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us. That was the plan." Balin stated, frowning.

"Plans change. Bofur, take the first watch." Thorin replied coolly. I snuggled into Kíli's cloak, sleep almost coming immediately.

I was sleeping peacefully, recuperating, when I was rudely awoken by Thorin shouting, "Wake up. Wake up!" However, the floor below us caved in before we could do or say anything. That woke me up immediately. We fell through the floor, screaming, and down a series of chutes and into a wooden cage. I landed hard against the side of the cage, my body screaming in pain as some of the Dwarves fell on top of me.

Suddenly, a group of creepy little creatures came down the pathway and started attacking and capturing us. I should've known that the cave, our safe haven, was too good to be true. I threw a few punches and kicks, only to get scratched a few times. My bag and my weapons, _all of them_ , got taken from me except for my wand, hidden away. We were forced through tunnels connected by rickety wooden bridges that seemed that they would break with just enough weight. A few times a bridge seemed like it would break but didn't, killing my hopes. I'd rather fall down a chasm than be a prisoner.

At one point, Fíli was being led right beside me, so I got the chance to hiss, "What are these things?" He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, and murmured, "Goblins." I wrinkled my nose, shifting against the Goblins hold on me. _First Trolls, now Goblins. What next?_

Finally, we were taken to what seemed to be a throne room. There sat on a huge throne was a huge, butt-ugly Goblin. "That's the Great Goblin, their king." Fíli whispered in my ear. The Goblins holding him down shoved him forward, kicking at him. I fought my restrainers, calling, "Hey! Leave him alone!" A Goblin jumped up and slapped me hard for that comment, it's long claw-like nails biting my cheeks. I growled at the Goblins, turning to face the Great Goblin.

He twirled his staff in his hand and music started playing. _Oh bloody hell, it's like I'm trapped in a musical!_ "I feel a song coming on!" The Great Goblin announced, wearing a cold, malicious expression. My breathing became labored from fear as we drew closer to the Goblin. The music grew louder as we were stopped and clumped together a few feet away from the Great Goblin, his performance starting.

" _Clap, snap, the black crack_

 _Grip, grab, pinch, and nab_

 _Batter and beat_

 _Make 'em stammer and squeak!_

 _Pound, pound, far underground_

 _Down, down, down in Goblin Town_

 _With a swish and smack_

 _And a whip and a crack_

 _Everybody talks when they're on my rack_

 _Pound, pound, far underground_

 _Down, down, down in Goblin Town_

 _Hammer and tongs, get out your knockers and gongs_

 _You won't last long on the end of my prongs_

 _Clash, crash, crush, and smish_

 _Bang, break, shiver, and shake_

 _You can yammer and yelp_

 _But there ain't no help_

 _Pound, pound, far underground_

 _Down, down, down in Goblin Town."_

The performance was vicious, including him skewering one of his own Goblins, not that I was complaining. One less Goblin was one less problem for us. When his performace was done, he sat back down on this throne, crushing a pile of Goblins and making them squeal, getting down to business. I suddenly wished he'd keep on singing. "Catchy, isn't it? It's one of my own...compositions." he said, grinning wickedly.

I closed my eyes tightly when Balin bravely shouted, "It's not a song, it's an abomination!" I feared that his words would get either himself killed or all of us. My mother taught me that you _never_ retaliated with brash words when you're held captive, especially if you don't have the upper hand. It wasn't a hard lesson to grasp really; it was kind of common sense. The Goblins roared in disagreement. We were lucky, however, the Great Goblin didn't seem to take it as an insult. "Abominations, mutations; that's all you're gonna find down here."

All of our weapons were dropped in front of the Great Goblin. Said Goblin, upon seeing our weapons, suddenly looked pissed. "Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?" The Great Goblin demanded, taunting. "Dwarves, Your Malevolence. And a Human girl." A Goblin servant replied.

" _Dwarves_? And a _girl_?" The Great Goblin repeated, looking none too happy, though he looked amused when he spotted me in the crowd. I gulped. "We found them on the front porch." The same Goblin reported. "Well, don't just stand there; search them! Every crack, every crevice." The King ordered.

The Goblins rushed forward and I tried to back away, squirming when several pairs of hands started to pat me down. "Hey! Watch those hands or I'll break them off!" I threatened, secretly becoming very fearful. Kíli looked over at me, unmoving as he was searched, wearing an unreadable expression. Several more things were found from everybody and thrown to the floor, my wand still not included. "What are you doing in these parts? Speak!" The King demanded.

No one answered. The Great Goblin grinned with malice. "Well then, if they will not talk, we'll make them squawk! Bring out the Mangler! Bring out the Bone Breaker! Start with the girl." Kíli's hand shot out and gripped onto my forearm protectively. Thorin stepped forward. "Wait." The Great Goblin stood up from his throne, amused. "Well, well, well, look who it is. Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror; King Under the Mountain." He mocked a bow towards our leader.

"Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain. And you're not a king. Which makes you nobody, really. I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak, an old enemy of yours. A Pale Orc astride a White Warg." I saw Thorin's eyes widen. "Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago."

The Goblin smirked. "So you think his defiling days are done, do you?" He hooted out a laugh and turned to a Goblin below him. "Send word to the Pale Orc; tell him I have found his prize." I growled and reached for my wand. Fíli looked down and saw it, shoving it back under the cloak I wore. "Don't. Wait for the opportune moment." he breathed.

"The opportune moment is _now_." I whispered back angrily. He shook his head. "No, trust me." I stopped struggling, knowing that he must've been right. I shot daggers at the Goblin who was writing the message down. It cackled, disappearing. My throat tightened. We were screwed.

I shifted away from the Goblins that arrived, carrying torture instruments. I stiffened, my fear becoming unbearable. Kíli squeezed my hand, trying to reassure me. It was a nice gesture, but did not help. What made matters worse was when the Great Goblin started singing again gleefully. " _Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung! You'll be beaten and battered, from racks you'll be hung. You will lie down here and never be found, down in the deep of Goblin Town_."

It was interesting, however, when the little pest, the same one who reported to the Goblin King earlier, unsheathed Orcrist, it screamed like a banshee and threw it away. It clattered to the ground, the blade unsheathed just the slightest. All the Goblins saw it, screaming and howling in rage and horror. The Great Goblin bounded back to his throne, screeching, "I know that sword! It is the Goblin-Cleaver, the Biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks. Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all! Cut off his head!"

As he screeched, Goblins came at us. I punched several, kicking and slapping, whatever I had to. One grabbed me by my braid, and yanked me backwards, hard. I cried out, falling onto my back, the wind knocked out of me. I laid on the ground, flinching when a nasty Goblin grinned at me, up in my face.

Snarling, I kicked upwards and into its stomach, propelling it backwards and into its friends, all of them falling down like bowling pins. I stood up, only to be tackled by another Goblin. I got into a fistfight with it, punching and kicking. I started bleeding and it distracted me. It pulled out a knife and slashed at me, aiming for my throat. I moved out of the way, my chin getting nicked instead. Suddenly, an explosion of white light occured, sending us all backwards and everyone onto the ground. It grew dark, all of us unmoving.

As the light returned, I leaned up, propped on my elbows to see a familiar figure standing there in a tall, pointy hat wielding Glamdring and his staff. Gandalf. "Take up arms. Fight. Fight!" he shouted. With a new determination, I pulled out my wand, using _Accio_ to summon my things back to me. I shoved my wand away and caught my sword, turning to the Goblins.

I strode forward and slashed and hacked at the little beasts. I ducked and beheaded a Goblin, slicing the head clean off. I swallowed hard, trying not to let the fact that I was killing things affect me. Training to kill was one thing, but actually killing was another thing entirely. As I fought, I heard the Great Goblin wail, "He wields the Foe-Hammer, the Beater, bright as daylight!" He was referring to Gandalf's sword Glamdring. What the point of that observation was, I didn't know. I just continued to retaliate.

As I parried a blow, I noticed a familiar weapon on the ground and called, "Óin!" He turned, seeing his weapon in my hands. I threw him his weapon, just in time for him to kill a few Goblins. I heard someone shout, "Nori," watching as the Goblin King was about to crush him. Panic gripped my heart, but stopped when I saw Thorin jump in, wielding Orcrist. He sent the Great Goblin wheeling backwards, falling off the bridge and into the chasm below.

I turned to a group of Goblins and started to fight them off. Fíli jumped in halfway through and fought with me side-by-side. "Are you alright?" he called at one point. "Fine. You?" I called back, ducking and rolling, popping up to kill two Goblins. He saw my move and grinned. "Well enough now that we have the upper hand!"

When the Goblins started to flee, Gandalf cried, "Follow me. Quick! Run!" I sheathed my sword and started to run, taking second to last in our line. Gandalf led us down one of the bridges, taking out Goblins as he went. I drew my bow and shot arrows when I had the chance.

"Quickly!" Gandalf called. I shot a Goblin down and put my bow away, pulling out my wand. It was time for some magic. Bifur, behind me, shouted something to me that I didn't understand. I stopped, letting him pass me, pointing to the bridge behind me, shouting, " _Bombarda Maxima_!" The bridge and the Goblins on it blew up in a great explosion, making the entire Company jerk around.

They looked from me to the bridge. "Did you do that?" Ori asked weakly. I nodded, suddenly spying a pack of Goblins ahead, and aimed my wand at them. The entire Company hit the ground in record time for me to cast, " _Confringo_!" The spell sent them all flying backwards and off of the bridge. They stood up slowly, allowing me to cast spells in other directions to keep the Goblins at bay.

"We need to keep moving!" Thorin shouted, Gandalf taking the lead again with Dwalin beside him. Dwalin saw a mass of Goblins ahead and yelled, "Post!" Together, a few Dwarves cut off a chunk of railing, holding it out like a spear. "Charge!" he bellowed. I watched, thinking that they were going to skewer them all, but just swept them off the pathway instead, falling to their deaths.

When they dropped the railing, we all got ready to go back to our own fighting styles. I pulled out two knives, ready to fight hand-to-hand combat. I slashed and killed many Goblins, sometimes flinging them out to help a fellow warrior, calling it back with _Accio_ when they were dead.

"Cut the ropes!" Thorin ordered. I turned to see some little monsters trying to swing their way across the cavern to us. I sprinted over to the railing and cut a rope, joining some of the Dwarves. Above us, the platform held up by the ropes collasped, getting tangled up with the ropes. I looked around, trying to find Kíli. I spotted him trying to deflect arrows with his sword and was about to help him out when he grabbed a ladder and a few other Dwarves helped him push back the Goblins until they fell to their deaths.

They set the ladder down and used it as a bridge, the last party member kicking away so we couldn't be pursued that way. "Quickly!" Gandalf cried again, leading us. We came to a stop at a gap that had a hanging piece of the path. We all jumped onto it, sending it swinging back and forth. When we stopped in front of the other side, Thorin yelled, "Jump!"

Me and a few others managed to touch the ground, everyone swinging away from us. As they swung in the opposite direction, Goblins waiting on the other side joined them. As they swung our way, they killed most of the Goblins. The ones they didn't kill died when Fíli cut the ropes, sending the swinging path into the chasm. We continued running, Gandalf striking his staff across the ceiling at one point, loosening a boulder. The Dwarves pushed it, crushing majority of Goblins in our path for us.

We continued through a maze of twists and turns. When we turned one last corner, about to cross a bridge that led to an exit, I looked behind me and saw a bridge leading towards us with a few hundred Goblins scampering towards us. I blew it up while running towards the others. I sighed as we came to the exit bridge, no Goblins ahead of us. When we were halfway across, the bridge suddenly broke open and out climbed the Great Goblin. We backpedaled, trying to keep a distance. _Are you fucking kidding me?_ More Goblins showed up from all sides as we stared at the Goblin King, our weapons at the ready. "You thought you could escape me?" He bellowed in anger.

He swung twice at Gandalf, almost making him fall over. Nori and Dori were luckily there to keep him upright, though. "What are you going to do now, Wizard?" The Great Goblin taunted. In reply, Gandalf launched forward and poke the ugly creature in the eye with his staff. "Ow, ow, ow!" It cried, falling to its knees. Then Gandalf sliced across it's fat, jiggly belly with his sword. "That'll do it." The Goblin stated. The old man finished the job by slitting the Great Goblin's throat, the body meeting the bridge with a thump.

The bridge suddenly started to shake. "Oh, shit." I uttered, breaking the sudden silence. Our part of the bridge collasped, sliding down the chasm wall. We all screamed, expecting death. I held on nonethless, watching as we bulldozed through everything and everyone until we reached the bottom, all of us buried in wood. When we all came to stop, we all sat there, stunned.

Gandalf quickly pulled himself out of the mess and stood over us, making sure we were all okay. I wriggled out of the wreckage, lying on the chasm floor, breathing deeply. "Well, that could have been worse." Bofur breathed optimistically. Of course, this was when the Goblin King's body fell on top of the wreckage, smothering the Dwarves. They all cried out, trying to get out from under the body. "You've got to be joking!" Dwalin moaned.

When everyone was out, we allowed ourselves a five second breather. Kíli looked up and paled. "Gandalf!" We all craned our necks to see what looked like thousands of Goblins climbing down the cavern walls. "There's too many! We can't fight them." Dwalin exclaimed. I shook my head. "I don't think even with my magic we could take on that many alone." Gandalf nodded and turned away. "Only one thing will save us: daylight! Come on!" We followed Gandalf, once again running.


	11. 10 - Wargs and Eagles

Gandalf took us through a series of passageways, daylight right ahead. I inhaled deeply as we exited, stepping out into the light again. As we ran through the forest and down the mountainside, all I could think of was how I'd never been so happy to see trees in my life. When we're far away enough to take a break, we slowed down to a stop, catching our breaths. Gandalf took his time to count all of us. "Five, six, seven, eight...Bifur, Bofur...that's ten...Fíli, Kíli...that's twelve...Paige...that makes thirteen, and Bombur-that makes fourteen. Where's Bilbo? Where is our Hobbit? Where is our Hobbit?!"

I looked around, trying to find Bilbo in our group. He was gone. I felt guilty that I had forgotten about him in the craziness of trying to escape. "Curse the halfling! Now he's lost?!" Dwalin exclaimed, exasperated. "I thought he was with Dori!" Glóin put in. Dori scowled. "Don't blame me!" "Well, where did you last see him?" Gandalf demanded.

I groaned and rubbed my temples. Fighting and standing around was not going to help us find Bilbo. "I think I saw him slip away, when they first collared us." Nori said slowly, remembering. Gandalf walked up to the Dwarf, barking, "What happened exactly? Tell me!"

When Thorin opened his mouth I knew that nothing good was going to come from it. "I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door! We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone." I clenched my fists tightly at my side, not wanting to believe it. Bilbo, though he wasn't quite cut out for this and missed home frequently, was part of this whether Thorin liked it or not. We were all in this together.

"No, he isn't." A voice suddenly said. I whirled around to see none other than Bilbo himself emerge from behind a tree. I let out a sigh of relief, all the tension leaving my body. Gandalf's face broke into a smile as he stepped forward and laughed. "Bilbo Baggins! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!" Bilbo half-smiled, walking forward and clapping Balin on the shoulder as he passed him.

Kíli grinned at the Hobbit. "Bilbo, we'd given you up!" "How on earth did you get past the Goblins?" Fíli asked. Dwalin cocked his head. "How, indeed." I looked over at Bilbo, who was at a loss for words. He chuckled awkwardly, not replying. "Well, what does it matter? He's back!" Gandalf said, his tone seeming a bit off for some reason.

"It matters! I want to know: why did you come back?" Thorin asked, his expression curious. The Hobbit sighed and looked around the Company, mainly at Thorin, as he replied, "Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you're right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books. And my armchair. And my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came back, cause you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can."

Silence. Thorin watched the Hobbit with an awed expression, before he looked down, looking up again hesitantly with an odd expression. Bilbo's gaze fell on me and I grinned at him, giving the Hobbit a big hug. "You gave me a fright, Bilbo! Next time you decide to _not_ get captured, please consult me!" I joked. His lips twitched into a wide half-smile. Suddenly, there were howls in the distance, making all of us start.

Fear crept in when I remembered why those howls were so familiar. Warg-Scouts! Thorin sighed. "Out of the frying pan..." "...and into the fire! Run! RUN!" Gandalf finished. We took off, running down the mountainside as fast as we could. "You know, I always thought that the phrase was 'Out of the frying pan and into the inferno.'" I shouted.

"Not the time, Miss Paige!" Gandalf barked. Nori, beside me, snorted. I shot him an exasperated look and tried to refocus on running. As the sun went down, it became a lot harder to see. I passed by a few trees and then a Warg suddenly jumping out. I screamed in surprise, taking out a knife swiftly and slashing it's throat. When it was dead, I held a hand to my heart. That scared the living shit out of me.

I caught up with the others, my heart sinking when I found that we were trapped on the cliff's edge. The Warg howls got louder. I looked down, over the cliff, wondering if we could maybe escape that way. I winced, seeing that it was much too far of a drop to use _Aresto Momento_ and save us all. "Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!" Gandalf shouted. As I climbed into my own tree, I watched the Dwarves climb up the trees with ease, surprised.

"For people who live below ground, you are really good at climbing trees." I called. A few of them genuinely laughed. "They're coming!" Thorin, the buzzkill, shouted. My mouth fell open as Gandalf climbed up the tree like he wasn't an old man. _I wonder how he stays so fit. When I'm an old lady, I wanna be as active as Gandalf._ Suddenly, the group of hunters came forward, a pale-colored Orc riding a white Warg leading them. _WAIT A MINUTE._ I saw a flash of fear cross Thorin's face, even from my spot in tree several feet from his. "Azog?!" he whisper-shouted.

Said Pale Orc stroked his steed's fur, saying something in a different language that I did not understand. " _Nuzdigid? Nuzdi gast? Ganzilig-i unarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Train-ob."_ (Do you smell it? The scent of fear? I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain.) The only thing I understood from his gibberish was "Thorin son of Thrain." I looked over at Thorin and saw him looking pained. I suddenly felt bad for him, feeling even worse for all the negative and snide comments I said in my head and to his face.

"It cannot be." he whispered, almost a plead. Azog pointed to Thorin, saying, " _Kod, Toragid biriz_." (That one is mine.) Then pointed to the rest of us and shouted, " _Worori-da_!" (Kill the others!) Judging by the way the Wargs raced forward and towards us, I took his words to say something along the lines of "Thorin's mine, but kill everyone else." Azog said something else with a bloodthirsty grin, but I didn't think much of it because three Wargs were right under me, trying to kill me.

I yelped and climbed higher as they shook the tree violently. I held on for dear life, watching as other Wargs uprooted my friends' trees, sending them hopping to other trees. It was like watching dominoes fall over; all the trees tipping. The tree I held onto started to make a cracking noise and I screamed as it started to fall. I looked around and jumped onto another tree before mine fell, just barely managing to hold on.

I saw that everyone was now in Gandalf's tree at the very edge of the cliff and Disapparated to it, startling everyone. "How'd you do that?" Ori called up to me. I looked down at him and smiled thinly. "It's called Disapparating. A thing Wizards do in my world to make traveling easier." Azog laughed as his Wargs drew closer to our tree.

Suddenly, Gandalf picked up a pinecone and set it on fire with his staff, throwing it at the Wargs below. We watched as they backed away because of the fire. Seeing his idea, I followed Gandalf, breaking off a pinecone and casting, " _Incendio_." I chucked it out at the Wargs, sending more fire up on the ground.

The Wizard lit up two and threw one down to a Dwarf. "Fíli!" He caught the pinecone and started to light other pinecones. We start throwing them like bombs, cheering as the Wargs retreated. I stuck one last pinecone onto an arrow and lit it up, shooting and killing a Warg, flames meeting the ground and the body. Azog roared. I heard a cracking sound, again, and felt the tree start to give away.

We screamed and yelled as the tree fell over, parallel with the ground. I held on as tight as I could, seeing the far drop below us. We needed a Plan C. I looked around and saw Ori slip, but mangaing to catch Dori's leg. Ori screamed. Dori started slipping with Ori's weight now on him. "Mister Gandalf!" he cried.

The two Dwarves fell, but Gandalf extended his staff to let Dori grab it. They were now dangling over the huge drop. "Hold on, Ori!" Dori called to his brother. I looked over at Thorin, who was giving Azog a 'rot in hell' glare. He suddenly pulled himself up and onto the tree, standing with Orcrist and an oak branch for a shield. Thorin charged. He really _was_ Thorin Oakenshield and I saw in that moment why he was called that.

He wasn't just called Oakenshield because he used a tree branch for a shield. Thorin called that because he was strong, resilient, and unyielding like an oak tree. I watched in awe as our leader ran down the tree and through the fire and tree branches to Azog, who sat on his Warg with a challenging smirk, his ice-like eyes glittering.

Azog readied his Warg and pounced, shooting straight at Thorin. He tried to lift his sword up, but in vain. The White Warg's paws hit him in the chest, pushing him to the ground, hard. I clung to the tree harder, gasping. Ori was losing his grip on Dori, crying, "Help!" I looked around me, wanting to help everyone at the same time, but could only try to keep myself anchored.

My eyes were glued to Azog and Thorin's fight. I cringed as Thorin got back up, only to be hit in the face by Azog's mace. He collasped to the ground, moaning in pain. I bit my lip hard as I watched. Thorin was getting beaten up brutally, it was almost unbearable to watch. "No!" Balin cried.

I panted, my arms crying out in pain from holding the rest of my body up. I didn't know how much longer I could keep myself anchored. I roared in anger as the Warg's mouth clamped around Thorin, the Dwarf crying out. Bilbo managed to stand on the tree, watching the scene. Dwalin tried to swing himself up to help his friend, but his branch started cracking, making him grab another one and unable to help. "Thorin! No!" he shouted.

Still in the Warg's mouth, Thorin hit the Warg on the head with his sword, the beast throwing him out of his mouth and on the ground. He laid there, breathing heavily. Orcrist was out of reach, leaving him defenseless. " _Biriz torag khobdudol_." (Bring me the Dwarf's head.) Azog ordered, bloodlust making his eyes gleam. I looked up to see Bilbo unsheathed his sword, which was glowing blue, and ran towards the scene. I half-smiled. _Brave Hobbit, not useless._

Thorin was almost unconscious from the severity of his wounds and it worried me. A Warg rider dismounted and drew out their weapon, holding it to Thorin's neck. They raise their weapon up, about to decapitate him, when Bilbo threw himself on the Orc, stabbing and killing it. I looked over at Thorin and panicked, seeing him now unconscious. With a new determination, I pulled myself up and onto the tree with my last bit of adrenaline-induced strength.

I pulled out my wand, seeing Bilbo holding his sword out at Azog, standing over Thorin. Azog smiled darkly and spoke something that I was almost 100% sure meant kill him. I ran forward and shouted, Bilbo hitting the ground, " _Everte Statum_!" The whole front line of Orcs and Wargs were sent hurtling backwards and into the second line. Azog narrowed his eyes at me. I flicked my wand upwards and sent an arrow his way with the Arrow-Shooting Spell.

However, he blocked it with his sword-for-an-arm. A third wave ran forward and Kíli, Fíli, and Dwalin joined Bilbo and I. I drew out my own sword, putting my wand away, and fought with them. During the fight, I heard squawks and looked up to see giant Eagles coming in. They started to grab Wargs and throwing them off the cliff or bringing trees down on top of them. I stopped fighting to watch them.

And Eagle swooped down and picked up Thorin in its talons, his oaken shield falling as they flew away. Dwalin and I ran as an Eagle created an inferno by fanning the flames with its huge wings, burning the Wargs and Orcs. Bilbo, Fíli, and Kíli were all picked up by Eagles flown away. Two more came and picked up me and Dwalin.

I grinned as we flew away from the fray, safe. Down below, all the Dwarves were picked up and off the huge oak tree. However, I saw a figure jump from the tree as it finally fell off the cliff, only to be picked up by an Eagle. Gandalf. As we flew away and into the distance, you could hear Azog roaring. The sound sent shivers down my spine and would surely haunt my dreams for the time to come.

As we flew through the night, I grinned, loving the feeling of flying. It got cold, though, making me curl up on the Eagle's back to keep warm. The Eagle had really warm feathers that reminded me of a bed. Before I knew what was happening, I fell asleep on the Eagle's back.


	12. 11- Turn of Events

I woke up two or three hours later when the sun rose, blinding me. I groaned and rubbed my eyes. The feathers beneath my back were a soft, warm cocoon, sheltering me from the cool winds. My eyes shot open and I looked around frantically, almost falling off the Eagle. I calmed down when I remembered where I was and what I was doing. I searched for Thorin amongst the Eagles and found him in the clutches of one, looking pale and still unconscious. I chewed my lower lip, worried.

I wasn't the only one who was worried. Fíli, unaware of his unconsciousness, shouted to our leader, "Thorin!" I began to worry that if we didn't land soon and I didn't look at him, he'd fall into a coma or die. Or both. Luckily, a great rock structure lied ahead and Thorin's Eagle gently placed him on the ground with his sword by his side. Recklessly, I jumped off of my Eagle before it landed and ran towards Thorin, tripping and falling almost off the structure.

I shouted a thanks to my Eagle, not even sure if it spoke English, and raced to Thorin. My side ached from my landing and the other things we've done in the past twenty-four hours. I fell to his side and pressed my fingers to his pulse point under his jaw, his beard scratching my fingers. I heard footsteps come up beside me. "Thorin! Thorin." Gandalf cried. Bilbo and the others raced up and stood behind the two of us, who were crouched over the Dwarf.

"His pulse is weak. Any more delays and he'll die." I said seriously, rummaging through my bag. I pulled out my lily tea and supported Thorin's neck with my hand, pouring a bit of it in his mouth. It spilled over his mouth and I wiped his mouth on my sleeve, gently resting his head on the ground. I held my hand over his chest, murmuring, " _Rennervate._ " His eyes fluttered open a few seconds later and he coughed a bit.

I sighed in relief and sunk onto the ground. He was alright. "The halfling?" he croaked. Gandalf nodded, the corners of his lips twitching. "It's all right. Bilbo is here. He's quite safe." Thorin tried to sit up, but I stopped him. "Hey, you need to take it easy. Just relax for a few minutes." His eyes flitted over to me, then to the bottle in my hands. He said nothing.

Then he stood up unsteadily, with the help of Dwalin and Kíli, causing me to roll my eyes exasperatedly. When he was stable, he shrugged the two off and marched towards Bilbo, yelling at him. "You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the Wild and that you had no place amongst us?"

I tensed. _Poor Bilbo. This cannot be good for Thorin's health._ Bilbo's expression turned from relief to fear in an instant. "I've never been so wrong in all my life!" Thorin broke into a wide grin and crushed Bilbo in a hug. When it finally hit me, I grinned from ear to ear, the Dwarves around me cheering. Bilbo was surprised, but ended up hugging Thorin back.

When Thorin pulled away, he clapped the Hobbit on the shoulder. "I am sorry I doubted you." Bilbo waved it off. "No, I would have doubted me, too. I'm not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar." Above us, the Eagles screeched, flying away. We watched them go, slightly sad that they couldn't give us a ride again. "Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo asked. We all turned to see in the far off distance, a single mountain peak. We all walked to the edge of the rock structure and took a closer look at it. "Erebor―The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great Dwarf kingdoms of Middle-Earth." Gandalf affirmed.

Thorin smiled slightly. "Our home." I sighed, seeing we still had a long way to go. A bird swiftly flew by, chirping. Óin, holding up his hearing trumpet, exclaimed, "A raven! The birds are returning to the Mountain." We all listened intently, hearing more birdsong. "That, my dear Óin, is a thrush." Gandalf corrected.

"But we'll take it as a sign―a good omen." Thorin stated, looking down at Bilbo. The Hobbit nodded, a smile gracing his lips. "You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us." Though he didn't see it, I shot the Hobbit an incredulous look. _He does know that we still have to slay a_ Dragon _, right? This is just the beginning._ As the sun rose high in the sky, we stared at the Lonely Mountain, breathing in the morning air.

I sighed and glanced over at the Company, everyone looking exhausted and with injuries that needed to be tended to. I went over to my bag on the ground and announced, "Everyone get in line so I can check out your injuries." One by one I looked everyone over, Óin assisting me greatly with his advanced healing skills. He would treat someone while teaching me something new at the same time. It was a good experience for me, what with my aspirations of being a doctor. And in turn, I sometimes murmured a spell or two to clean someone up or gave them an herbal mixture I happened to have, teaching Óin about Wizard medicine. Kíli had a small gash on his face that had dried blood caked over it and half his face. " _Tergeo_." I muttered, the blood disappearing.

I cleaned the cut as best as I could, with Óin grumbling with approval over my shoulder, and earning sounds of discontent from Kíli. "Sorry." I mumbled, dabbing his face with a scrap of cloth. When I was patching up Fíli, he asked me, "How did you learn to be a healer?" I smiled fleetingly, pressing another cloth, dipped in herbal medicine, to a burn on his arm. "I'm no Óin, though I'd love to get better. I told you before, Fíli; my mum taught me a lot of things." His mouth quirked into a smile as he stood up, someone else taking his place.

When I was done, Óin giving me some praise and a promise to discuss herbs later, I stood at the edge of the Carrock, as that was what the structure was called. Behind me, everyone sat on the ground, eating a light breakfast. I heard footsteps and inclined my head, seeing Gandalf coming towards me. "You've done well, Miss Paige." he complimented. I raised an eyebrow, watching as he came to stand beside me. "Thank you, Gandalf, but I haven't done much. Just cleaned up a couple cuts and burns. Óin's the one tending to Thorin right now, not me. And please, call me Paige."

The Wizard huffed a laugh. "On the contrary, you have done a great deal, _Paige._ You've finally been accepted by the Company, successfully saved Thorin's life, and befriended the others." A small smile crept up my face. "So, what happens now? How do we get down from this thing?" I asked, getting back to business. Gandalf's easy smile fell away slightly, replaced by a serious grimace. He pointed to a huge staircase that descended against the side of the Carrock."That is how we will be getting down."

I frowned, kneeling and holding onto the edge of the rock. I leaned down and looked at all the steps and bases until it reached the bottom. "Gandalf, I'm not so sure Thorin is in shape health-wise to be climbing such a long way." I said dubiously, my inner doctor coming out. The Wizard and I both looked to Thorin, who wore a small smile while listening to Kíli tell him something animatedly, Fíli on Thorin's other side wearing an expression of amusement as well.

"The only other way to get him down is if you used your disappearing trick with him, Paige." Gandalf stated, eyebrows raised. I winced, imagining Thorin throwing up the second we touched the ground. He was already in bad shape, there was no need to make him feel worse if it could be avoided. "That's not a good idea. Disapparation is a lot more complicated than it looks. You have to practice many times and you usually vomit the first couple. Not to mention that Thorin could be splinched and I don't have any medicine to fix that..." I trailed off as I tried to come up with a new plan.

An idea popped into my head after much thinking and I turned to Gandalf, who seemed to have been deep in thought as well. "What if you led the Company down the steps first and I hung back with Thorin and I carefully guided him down while you waited for us at the bottom. That way we wouldn't be holding anyone up."

Gandalf thought my plan over for a moment before eyeing me carefully with doubt. "If you can convince Thorin to agree to this, then I will allow it. Good luck." I narrowed my eyes at the Wizard as he walked away. Great, now I had to deal with Thorin alone. I chewed my lower lip, staring out at the scenery.

Just as I was finishing up mentally formulating a plan, Bofur called out to me. "Paige, come and eat!" I turned, smiling, and obliged. Kíli patted the empty space beside him, which I gladly took. I groaned as I leaned against the rock, sitting down being such a relief. The Dwarf watched as I scarfed down the food, careful not to burn my mouth.

"You look tired. You should get some sleep before leave." Kíli commented, staring at my face. I scowled at him, taking another bite of food. "I'm fine, thank you very much." I grumbled, glaring at him over my food. He winced, apologizing. I waved it off, leaning over to look at Thorin who was on Kíli's other side.

"Thorin, I have a proposition for you." I announced, the Dwarf's eyebrows nearly touching his hairline. "Oh? What about?" I set my food down and turned so that I faced Thorin, Kíli and Fíli listening, too. "I know that you are in great pain, don't even try to deny it, and according to Gandalf, the only way down is the huge staircase over there." I pointed to said staircase to make my point.

"Here's the deal, you and I both know you can't get down by yourself nor at a normal speed if you weren't injured. My proposition to you is to let the others go a head of us, let you rest a little while longer, and then you and I will go down the staircase slowly at your own pace and make sure that you don't injure yourself any further. Everyone else would be waiting for us."

Thorin's expression turned sour and I knew this conversation was going to end in a fight. "I am _fine_ , Miss Paige. Thank you for your concern, but I do not need any assistance." I glared at the stubborn Dwarf. "As of right now, I am your healer...co-healer since Óin's far more skilled than I...and you will do what I say! Is that clear?" Thorin stared fiercely at me and I stared back just as hard. When neither of us would relent, I said softly, "Please, Thorin. I'm trying to help you."

His gaze wandered over my face for a minute longer before he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright." he said defeatedly. A small smile bloomed on my face. "Good. Then it's settled." I stood up and went to help out the others.

I stood above Thorin, who was still sitting, and watched as our friends started to descend the staircase. Óin lingered to hand me a pouch, which contained a wrapped bundle of fresh bandages and a salve for Thorin's wounds. The old Dwarf squeezed my forearm. "Apply this every couple hours or so. Hey, relax. You're a natural, lass. You'll do just fine." he assured.

I smiled back weakly, honestly terrified. Óin had far more skill and practice than I and it made me wonder if I was capable of taking care of our leader. Below, Thorin watched with a sour grimace as they disappeared from our view, partially pained and partially annoyed. "I'd rather you take your time than be further hurt, Thorin." I said quietly, sitting down beside him to double-check that I had everything in my bag.

He huffed, nodding. "I am aware of that Miss Paige, and I'm appreciatative, but at the same time I am anxious to get to Erebor before Durin's Day passes." I frowned slightly, saying in a hushed voice, "We'll make it, Thorin." I looked down at my bag to hide the disappointment in my eyes. At this point, I was more hurt than annoyed by the fact that he still refused to call me just Paige, he was the only one after all.

I felt his eyes on me as I tried to occupy myself. "We'll give the others half an hour or so before we start. How does that sound?" I asked, breaking the silence. I didn't hear Thorin reply, which prompted me to look up briefly. He nodded slowly, wearing an unreadable expression.

I pursed my lips and continued sorting through my things. "You are displeased with me." Thorin remarked, his eyes analyzing my every move. I raised an eyebrow. "What gives you that impression?" "The tension in your shoulders, you avoiding direct eye contact with me, the frown upon your lips, and your bloodless knuckles." Thorin smoothly listed. I scowled at the stupid Dwarf. "You, sir, are creepy and overanalytic."

To my surprise, that earned me a huff of laughter from Thorin. It was short, I almost thought that I imagined it, but a small smile stayed on his face. He seemed relaxed for once and it made me feel better about his health condition. "I apologize. It is a habit I cannot seem to break." I raised both eyebrows, intrigued.

"Was the Ereborian court so bad? I've only ever been told about the courts of Men." I asked, thinking of Narnian court and my mother's experience in others like Calormen's or Archenland's. The corner of Thorin's mouth quirked up for a moment. "Not exactly. But I was taught to pick out the emotions of others at a very young age. It can be very useful. Especially when trying to detect whether or not someone is lying." I snorted. "Oh, yes I'm sure it is useful. For scaring people off." Imagine my surprise when he chortled, his eyes shining a little.

A small smile made its way onto my own face. I stood up suddenly and called to Thorin, walking to the edge of the Carrock, "Just checking where the others are." I knelt down and peered over the side. The rest of the Company was almost to the point of halfway, and I decided that now would be a good time to start descending.

I stood up and brushed my hands on my pants. "Time to head out. But first let me check on your wounds one more time." I crouched down beside him, motioning for him to lift up his shirt. His cheeks gained a bit of color as he lifted it up an inch. I shot him an annoyed look. "By the Mane, Thorin! Just strip!" He gave me an incredulous look, but complied, his heavy layers peeling off slowly with blood staining them.

I leaned in to examine the bandages wound around his torso, blood slowly soaking them. I carefully unwrapped them as cautiously as possible so it wouldn't hurt Thorin as much. I noticed his clenched jawline and found myself trying to be as gentle as possible. What I would've given for some Tylenol. The wounds were still raw and bloody, but I couldn't see any signs of broken or bruised ribs, luckily.

I applied Óin's salve, wincing as Thorin shifted in discomfort. "Sorry." I murmured, rewrapping his bandages. When I was finished, I helped him dress and stand up, biting my lower lip as he tried to conceal the pain on his face. I kept a hand on his shoulder as he steadied himself. "You good?" I asked skeptically as I watched him lose himself to his thoughts.

He blinked a few times before giving me a small nod. "Yes, I'm fine." I slowly retracted my hand and picked up both of our bags. Thorin frowned and made to grab his bag from me. On instinct, I held the bag up in the air, way out of his reach. He glowered at me, as if annoyed by being reminded of his short height.

I chuckled shakily. "Sorry. Force of habit." He rolled his eyes and started slowly for the staircase.


	13. 12- Descent

I climbed down the first couple steps and then turned around to help Thorin. "Try to not to worsen you condition." I advised, earning a glower from the Dwarf. "I assure you that any injury I get from this experience will not be deliberately." he snapped. I held my hands up in surrender as I watched him slowly lower himself onto the first step.

He kept a cool, collected expression, but I narrowed my eyes at him. "One down, five thousand more to go." I said cheerfully, testing him. "M-Miss Paige, please be quiet." he pleaded, panting just a little. That was all I needed to know. I pursed my lips and stepped down again, holding out my hand for Thorin. Reluctantly, he grapped my hand and cleared two more steps painfully slow.

I heard his heavy breathing as he made his way down the fifth step and noted, "Take your time. We don't have to rush." He looked up from the stone staircase below our feet and nodded slowly. And within thirty minutes, we had made it down two flights of stairs.

He collasped when his feet hit the next landing, a soft groan escaping his mouth. I immediately plopped down on the first step of the next stairway, offering him a skin of water. Thorin took it graciously and chugged most of it, coughing as he swallowed it too fast. When he gave it back to me I drank the remaining drops before refilling it with the Water Charm.

I noticed Thorn's chest heaving up and down from exhaustion and I knew we needed to take a five minute break. "Five minutes." I huffed, leaning against the landing and watched as he rested his head against the last stairs and closed his eyes, breathing out a shaky sigh. When those five minutes were up, Thorin got up slowly with no complaints, ready to trudge on.

At one point, the steps became very narrow and uneven, as if they were hand-made. "Be careful, the stairs are unstable." I warned. Just as I did, I slipped and almost fell off the side of the staircase. Thorin's hand, however, shot out and grabbed my arm. My mouth went dry as I teetered on the edge of the stairs, a very long drop below me.

Grunting, Thorin hauled me back and away from the edge. My back hit the wall as I slowly sunk down against the Carrock, my mouth agape. My heart was beating erractically against my ribcage, the fear of falling still very present. "Are you alright?" The Dwarf asked, eyebrows furrowed. I nodded silently, afraid of what would come out if I spoke.

I cautiously stood back up and inched my way down the stairs, making sure that Thorin did not slip. When we got to the next landing it was about noon or one in the afternoon. We ate a small lunch, both silent as we passed the waterskin back and forth. Then we continued on, both of us wary and exhausted.

By the time the sun was setting we still hadn't even made it halfway down the damn stairs what with the amount of caution we were taking with Thorin's injuries. Every few hours I would check on his injuries and applied the salve, following Óin's orders. A few more steps and we were about to get to the next landing. And from the panting I heard behind me, I knew it was time to call it a night.

We both collapsed the moment our feet touched the leveled stone. I caught my breath before crawling over to Thorin, announcing, "I should check your wounds again." He grunted and then proceeded to heave off all his shirts. "The amount of clothes you Dwarves wear is absolutely ridiculous." I murmured. Thorin snorted. At last, I unwrapped his blood-soaked bandages and continued to examine them in the setting sunlight.

They looked slightly better, though they were still bleeding and looked painful. I reapplied Óin's salve and wrapped fresh bandages around his torso. Against my better judgement, I gave him some lily tea to help with the pain. With his layers back on, Thorin ate a pathetic dinner while I watched the sunset and the scenery with the beautiful colors creating a natural, pretty filter. "What are you looking at?" Thorin finally asked, sipping our waterskin.

"The sunset." I replied softly. "Where I'm from, you don't ever really have the time to enjoy simple things like sunsets. Nobody appreciates them." I elaborated, trying to ignore the hunger pains I was feeling. Thorin needed to keep his energy up so that he didn't die from starvation and malnourishment while nursing some serious wounds. I could skip a couple meals if I needed to. Thorin hummed, cocking his head. "That's quite sad. Not even the _Elves_ appreciate nature?"

I chuckled, resting my chin on my knees. "There are no Elves, Thorin. Or Dwarves or Hobbits. It's a world of Men. Sometimes it's a good thing, but there are times when other races' intervention or ideas would probably solve many of our problems. Unfortunately, they are all myths, stories on Earth. No one, unless you're a Wizard, believes in magic."

Thorin made a face. "Well, that's unfortunate. Your world sounds very dull and dark." I winced, slightly offended. "It _can_ be dull and dark. But not everywhere. You just have to look for the light." He shrugged. I rolled my eyes and started rummaging through my bag. At last, I pulled a blanket out of it and threw it at Thorin.

The blanket fell on his face, sadly hiding the probably priceless expression on his face. I snorted when he glared at me as he pulled the blanket off. "What's this for?" I settled against the Carrock wall and responded, "Get some sleep. I'll take first watch." "Miss Paige." he growled. At this point, I was too tired to argue with him. "Rest. I'll wake you in a few hours." I retorted.

Grumbling, Thorin laid down with the blanket around him, using his bag as a pillow. I half-smiled at the sight of his pout. Honestly, he looked like a six-year-old! He eventually dozed off, leaving me to my thoughts and the darkness swallowing us all whole. It was amazing that I was able to keep my eyes open for the whole night.

They ached and burned, but I wasn't going to wake Thorin, for he needed the sleep more than me. I tried really hard to not think about how I haven't slept in forty-eight hours. I took a couple sips of lily tea to keep hunger and sleep deprivation away. Just as dawn was breaking, it couldn't have been later than two in the morning, Thorin woke up. He yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then noticed me.

I must have looked like death, but at this point I didn't really care. "Why didn't you wake me? You said 'a few hours.'" He grumbled, his voice raspy from sleep. I shrugged. "You needed the sleep." I bit back a yawn, but the Dwarf narrowed his eyes at me. "Well, now I have rested and it's your turn to sleep."

I pointed to his stomach. "But your wounds―" I protested, cut off by Thorin's firm retort, "Can wait. I'll wake you in a few hours." I glared at him as he chucked the blanket at my head, hearing him chortle. "Very funny." I mumbled, laying my head down on my bag. After a few minutes, I dozed off, never falling asleep so fast in my life.


	14. 13- Finish Line

When Thorin gently woke me up, it felt as if he had given me five minutes to sleep. I groaned and rolled on my side, the early sunrise blinding me. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up, fighting back a yawn and the exhaustion I still felt. "How long have I been asleep for?" I asked, my voice deep from sleep. I stretched, feeling pain in my back from sleeping on the stone.

The corner of Thorin's mouth quirked as he replied, "No more than two hours." I nodded, running a hand over my hair which probably looked a bit crazy even though it was pulled back in a braid. "Lemme check on your wounds and we'll head out. Did you already eat?" He nodded, starting to take off his ridiculous amount of clothing.

The wounds must have become inflamed from the rough ground because they did not look much better. I frowned slightly as I applied the salve, asking, "How do you feel?" Thorin tensed as I gently prodded his skin. "Fine." he replied curtly. I narrowed my eyes at him, but didn't say anything, bandaging him back up.

As he tried to get up himself, I thrust the bottle of lily tea in his face. "Drink." He raised his eyebrows, but complied. I looked away and out at the scenery, because the clenching of my stomach muscles was starting to ache badly. We started our descent again, silence all around us except for the gentle breeze.

"Wait, did you eat breakfast?" Thorin asked out of nowhere. I shook my head. "Nope." I could hear the frown in his voice as he suggested, "You should eat. I know you didn't escape the Misty Mountains unscathed." I shrugged, not really in the mood to argue over me eating. "Nah, we have to keep moving." "Miss Paige." Thorin protested. I held my hand up, saying, "Now's not the time, Thorin!" I heard him grumble something incoherent, but ignored it. Grumpy Drwaves were the least of my worries.

However, I was worried about Thorin's injuries. What if there was something seriously wrong with him and I was oblivious to it because I was not a very good healer? _Óin should've gone with Thorin, not an amateur!_ I felt Thorin's hand on my shoulder and I turned, seeing a small pouch of dried fruit in his other hand. "You should really eat something, Miss Paige. Don't pretend that you ate supper last night, I know you didn't."

I opened my mouth to protest, but was interrupted by the sound of my stomach growling very loudly. My cheeks heated up as I sheepishly looked to the Dwarf, who was eye level because of the stair he was on. He thrust the pouch at me. I sighed, taking it, and turning back around. I popped a few in my mouth, surprised at how good it was. "Thank you." I mumbled, trying to pace myself. He hummed, seeming to be deep in thought.

As I continued down the steps, regaining some of my strength from the food, I realized that maybe Thorin wasn't so bad.

By late afternoon, I was actually able to see the ground. I looked up at Thorin, who watched me while keeping a hand on the Carrock beside us. A small grin broke out on my face. "I can see the ground. I want to say we have about five more flights of stairs." The Dwarf sighed deeply, leaning his head against the rock beside him. "Alright."

We trudged on with minimal breaks per Thorin's request. I think he had had enough of me and was anxious for the company of his kin. By five in the evening, there were only two flights of steps left and we caught a glimspe of the others camped out a few feet away from the beginning of the staircase. Kíli was the first to notice us.

His tense expression immediately melted away into his usual cheerful face. "Thorin! Paige!" Everyone else's heads snapped straight to the stairs, all of them looking relieved. Slowly, the two of us made our way to the ground. Once we reached the last couple steps, I jumped down and sunk to the ground, feeling the grass between my fingers. "Oh, I've never been so happy to see the ground in my life." I moaned.

Fíli stood over me, chuckling. "It's good to see the two of you still in one piece." I stood up, only to have him crush me in a hug. I flinched in surprise, but hugged him back. Imagine my surprise when Kíli jumped on me and hugged me from behind, smushing me in a Fíli/Kíli sandwich. I yelped, refraining from reaching for a dagger. "What's with the hug? I'm fine." I asked when they pulled away and allowed me to breathe.

"We were worried! We were able to get down the stairs in a whole day, but you and Thorin took two!" Kíli explained, a lazy grin on his face. It brought a smile on my own face. Óin came over and clapped a hand on both boys' shoulder. "Not botherin' you are they, Paige?" Both looked from the older Dwarf to me with wide eyes.

"Of course we're not _bothering_ her! What a perposterous thing to accuse us of! I am hurt, Óin!" Fíli exclaimed, shooting his brother a devious look. "Exactly, dear brother! We are _never_ a bother! Paige here loves us!" Kíli protested, wearing a charming smirk. Óin rolled his eyes, obviously used to the boys' shenanigans. "Well, if you mind, I would like to borrow the lass from you for a moment."

I waved to the pair and walked off in the direction Óin was leading us in. I smiled and waved to a few of the Company members as we passed by them, Gandalf shooting me a wink. Finally, the Dwarf stopped us at the edges of the forest. I stopped finally and watched he studied me before his face broke out into a wide grin.

"You did a wonderful job, lass! You're a natural healer!" he crowed. My eyes widened. "Really? Thanks." My cheeks flushed as he continued on about how my method of bandage-wrapping was some of the best he'd ever seen and that the way I spread the salve was very efficient. I wasn't really sure if I should care about those sorts of things, but the praise was very flattering.

When we returned to the camp, Bombur sat me down between Nori and Bofur and shoved a bowl of stew in my hands. "Thorin tells me you've barely eaten." I tried to protest, but the cook would not have it. "I will not have you starving yourself for the sake of others, regardless of how selfless that is." Reluctantly, though I wasn't going to complain because the stew was really good, I ate, almost spitting my food out whem Bombur turned to Kíli and ordered, " _You_ cannot have any of Paige's food, no matter what she says. Is that clear?"

He pouted, looking like a sad puppy, but nodded. I snorted, taking another bite of food. With a full stomach, warmth, and some rest, I was feeling a bit better. After about thirty minutes, Thorin finally decided that it was time to move out. As we started off, I found myself next to Bilbo. I didn't even realize it until I looked over and saw the Hobbit thinking deeply.

"Bilbo!" I laughed, surprised. He jumped, his hand seeking his pocket, before seeing me. His face broke out into a smile. "Paige!" I bent down and gave the Hobbit a quick hug before walking, sending Nori a glare for his snickering. "It feels like it's been an age since we've spoken."

He chuckled, nodding. "Well, we've both been busy what with escaping from Goblins and Wargs and Orcs and making sure everyone is still alive. How do you feel?" I blinked in surprise. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. How are you?" Bilbo grinned. "I'm well. I was just asking because Thorin mentioned that you had been doing so much and not eating and barely sleeping...I was just making sure you're okay."

I smiled, appreciative of his concern. Never before had I had friends like Thorin and the Company. Sure, I had friends at Hogwarts, but we weren't as close as my mum was to hers or how I was with the Company. "I'm okay. Thanks, Bilbo." I squeezed his hand, smiling a little wider when he squeezed back. "What are friends for?"

Friends. This was certainly turning out to be a very interesting adventure.


	15. 14- The Skin-Changer

We had been on the road again for two days. Thorin was recovering greatly thanks to my mum's healing tea and Óin's watchful eye, though he was mostly letting me take over Thorin's healing. At the moment, we were at a standstill, Bilbo out scouting to see how close the Orc pack was. Thorin took a seat, trying to hide his exhaustion. I walked over and knelt beside him. He looked at me from under his lashes.

"You alright?" I asked, gently tipping his head back with my hand on his chin to get a better look at the cuts on his face. He sighed, nodding. "Tired?" I guessed knowingly. He nodded again. I bit my lip and went to grab my bag. "Take off your shirts. I want to see how those bite marks are doing." The Dwarves nearby wolf-whistled, making me scowl at them.

Thorin rolled his eyes and did as told, his cheeks flushed a light red. I bent down next to him, gently unwinding the bandages and touching the red marks that scattered across his body. Luckily, the bleeding had stopped, but they looked like they hurt a lot. The poor guy probably couldn't sleep well because his body ached and wasn't getting rest. He inhaled sharply, telling me that they still hurt in some places. It was lucky, however, that he wore so many layers, which had protected him for the most part. Had _I_ been the one to be a Warg's chewtoy, I'd have easily broken several ribs and/or ruptured something. I chewed on my lower lip and went looking for a certain bottle in my bag.

I gave him more lily tea. I was trying my best to preserve it, but he needed it badly. As he pulled the bottle away from his mouth, handing it to me, he asked, "What is this magic potion of yours? It works like...well, magic!" I chuckled. "It's a very special healing tea that comes from flower petals. My mum is the only one who can brew it. I'm lucky that she always makes me take a bottle with me when I go riding."

Thorin raised an eyebrow, heaving his several shirts and jackets back on. "Riding? On horseback?" I smiled, thinking of my horse Robin. "Yes, there's this forest right by my house that I love to go trail-riding in...It's very peaceful. And the trees seem to come alive when the wind blows―" I cut myself off abruptly, feeling homesick.

I cleared my throat and looked to the ground, busying myself to keep from crying. Surprisingly, Thorin rested a hand on my shoulder, comfortingly. "You'll see your home again." I smiled up at him, standing and brushing off my pants. "Miss Paige." Thorin called as I walked away. I turned. "Yes?" He motioned towards his face. "I haven't seen you tend to your own wounds yet."

I furrowed my eyebrows, realizing that he was right. I'd been so wrapped up in tending to the others that I had forgotten about myself, my body was still aching all over place, in some areas that I wasn't used to feeling pain in. "Thanks for reminding me. I'll be right back. Just take it easy, okay? And Thorin, call me _Paige_. No 'Miss'." He smiled genuinely at me for the first time.

I smiled to myself at the thought of our progress. From not-quite-enemies, to acquaintances, and now to friends. All in a matter of almost two months. It was strange to think that I'd been away from home longer than this, when I went to Hogwarts, but it felt so different. I wondered if my family was worried about me or if it was like Narnia and the second I returned would be in the exact moment I left.

I pushed my way through a grove of trees to the nearby river. Looking around to find the coast clear, I took off Kíli's cloak, my jacket, and my shirt to see what sort of injuries I had. I grimaced, seeing ugly bruises, cuts, and gashes littering my body. Deciding it would be best to clean up for the first time in a few days, I put protective enchantments around me and stripped off the rest of my clothes.

I gasped at the coldness of the river water, freeing my hair from my messy French braid, and dunking my head under water. I luckily had a small bar of soap on me I took from Rivendell, and was able to wash my body and hair. It wasn't much, but I felt better. When I was done, I washed my clothes, Kíli's cloak, and my sleeping blanket until my knuckles were red and raw. I dried myself off and everything else with the Hot Air Charm, rebraiding my hair.

Shoving my clothes and blanket back into my bag, I changed into the clothes I took from Rivendell, but keeping Kíli's cloak on. _That reminds me, I should probably give it back soon._ I zipped up my paddock boots, grimacing at how trashed they'd become. I was definitely going to need a new pair when I got home. Pulling the enchantments down, I slung my bag over my shoulder and reattached all my weapons to my person.

When I returned to camp, the others were still waiting for Bilbo. I sidled up to Kíli, seeing what was going on. He eyed my wet hair and grimaced. "Freshened up, did you? We're in the Wild, Paige! You don't _have_ to clean up." I shrugged my shoulders. "I can't stand it when my hair gets greasy. And I had a lot of blood and dirt under my finger nails, too. Can't stand that either. Oh! I remember why I came over here."

Kíli chuckled, a lazy grin now on his face, watching as I took off the cloak and handed it to him. "I think I've hoarded your cloak long enough." His smile was filled with amusement as he pushed it back into my hands. "Keep it. You need it more than I do, especially if we encounter anymore bad weather. Besides, that was just a spare."

I grinned at him and placed it in my bag. "Thanks, Kíli." He squeezed my arm, winking. Bilbo suddenly came running back from scouting. We all of us circled around him, getting down to business. "How close is the pack?" Dwalin asked as soon as the Hobbit came to a stop.

Bilbo rested his hands on his hips, catching his breath. "Too close. A couple of leagues, no more, but that is not the worst of it." I swallowed hard. What could be worse? "Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin guessed. The Hobbit shook his head. "Not yet, but they will; we have another problem." Gandalf's expression darkened. "Did they see you? They saw you!"

Bilbo seemed to becoming a bit exasperated with all the interruptions. "No, that's not it." The Wizard smiled proudly and turned to us. "What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material." The Dwarves all started chattering and chuckling in agreement. Bilbo, fed up, spoke louder. "Will you listen-Will you just listen? I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there."

An uneasy air spread through us. The Dwarves started to look worried. Gandalf had an odd expression across his face. "What form did it take? Like a Bear?" Bilbo nodded. "Ye..." He paused, frowning. "Y-yes. But bigger, much bigger." Bofur turned to Gandalf and asked, not accusatory, "You knew about this beast?"

Gandalf didn't reply, turning away from us. "I say we double back." Bofur suggested. Thorin shut the idea down with, "And be run down by a pack of Orcs." The old man finally turned to us, annoucing, "There is a house, it's not far from here, where we might take refuge." Thorin narrowed his eyes, skeptical. Not that I blamed him; the last time Gandalf said that we ended up hanging out with the Elves, whom Thorin _despised_. "Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" Gandalf looked hesitant to tell us, but did so anyway. "Neither. He will help us, or he will kill us."

My mouth slanted down. "Well, that sounds promising." I deadpanned. Gandalf shot me a withering glance. Thorin shouldered his bag, asking, "What choice do we have?" A loud roar came from nearby, startling all of us. "None." Gandalf replied. We took off quickly through the rocky terrain, running from the Bear.

By early evening, the sun still up and beating down on us. We were almost there. We had crossed a stream, some plains and prairies, and now were in a forest. We were just getting to the edge of the forest when I heard another loud Bear roar. It was gaining on us. "Come on!" Gandalf called. Bombur had stopped, looking behind him. Bofur pulled him along, saying, "Bombur, come on!"

We exited the forest and found ourselves on a wide, green plain. The house was just twenty yards away or so. "To the house! Run!" Gandalf encouraged. In his fear, Bombur managed to ourrun all of us. We ran through the gate, seeing a door ahead. "Come on, get inside!" Gandalf ordered, making sure everyone got through before himself.

Bombur and a few other Dwarves tried to throw their weight against the door, attempting to open it. When it didn't budge, I shoved my way through and pulled out my wand. "Open the door!" Gandalf shouted. I looked behind to see the Bear drawing closer. "Quickly!" Thorin shouted. " _Alohomora_!" I casted, the door swinging open.

We piled inside and tried to shut the door, just as the Bear shoved its head in the door. It roared and resisted as the Dwarves tried to push the door closed. I nocked an arrow and held my bow in a position, ready to shoot if necessary. Bilbo, beside me, pulled out his sword, pointing it uneasily. Gandalf looked down at the Hobbit in amusement. The Dwarves yelled as they tried to shut the door. "Come on, lads!" Dwalin urged. With one last shove, the door shut and was locked.

Everyone sighed, exhausted and scared. "What _is_ that?" Ori asked. Gandalf wore an unreadable expression as he replied, "That...is our host." We all whirled around and looked to the Wizard. "His name is Beorn, and he is a Skin-Changer." Óin looked down at his hearing trumpet, as if he'd heard wrong. "Sometimes he's a huge, black Bear; sometimes he's a great, strong Man. The Bear is unpredictable, but the Man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overfond of Dwarves."

I froze like a statue, thoughts of Mum coming to mind. She could Change into whatever animal she desired. Did that mean that Beorn was like her? When Gandalf mentioned that he wasn't fond of Dwarves I snorted, shaking my head. One or two Dwarves was one thing; but _thirteen_? We were screwed. "He's leaving!" Ori called, peeking through a crack in the door.

Dori pulled him away from the door. "Come away from there! It's not natural, none of it. It's obvious: he's under some dark spell." Without meaning to, his eyes wandered to me. I pursed my lips, the knuckles of my left hand turning white with how tight I was holding the frame of my bow. I casted my eyes downward, knowing that everyone was shooting me a glance or two.

"Don't be a fool; he's under no enchantment but his own. Alright now, get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight." Gandalf ordered. As I walked away, I heard Gandalf whisper, "I hope." My throat tightened at those words as I continued walking.

Everyone was spreading out around the house. My head was pounding with all the thoughts coming and going. I needed to be alone. I started to walk away, but Balin saw me and called, "Where're you going?" Everyone turned to look at me. I paused and looked back, staring blankly. "Just to check the place out." I turned on my heel and wandered off, trying to find a nice place to sit and think. I eventually found myself a nice, quiet sitting room. I sat down on a couch, staring into the distance. My want to meet Beorn was keeping me up. I listened as the Dwarves and Bilbo talked lowly among themselves, getting ready for bed.

I cringed when I heard Fíli whisper-shout, "Where's Paige?" Nobody responded. "Paige! Paige!" Kíli hissed. As much as I'd come to love the Company, it was difficult sometimes being the only girl. Sometimes you just wanted a break from the loud, rowdy boys. I shut my eyes as I heard footsteps coming my way.

A figure stood beside me, watching me for a second. "Found her! She's sleeping over here!" Ori hissed. Several pairs of footsteps came our way as the Dwarves rallied around us. It was hard, but I was able to keep my eyes closed and breathing even. "What is she doing over here?" Someone sat down next to me. "Tired is my guess. She must've dozed off while thinking. Did you see her face when Gandalf brought up that our host was a Skin-Changer? I don't know what was going through her head, but she reacted oddly." Kíli said, his voice right next to me. So he was the one sitting on the arm of the couch.

"Poor girl looks exhausted. She has been playing healer for us the past few days nonstop." Balin sympathized. "And doin' a fine job at it." Óin agreed. My neck got stiff and I moved my head, acting as if I were doing it in my sleep. Everyone stopped talking immediately. I laughed in my head, knowing that they thought I was waking up.

When they were sure I was asleep, they continued to whisper. "We should do something nice for her. To show our appreciation." Bilbo piped up. I could hear the grin in Kíli's voice. "Bilbo, you're a genius!" They all started chattering, their voices getting louder and louder. "What is going on over here?" Gandalf demanded.

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Desperately, I wanted to open my eyes to see everything happening. "Shh!" Several people exclaimed. My neck got stiff again and I shifted, trying to be comfortable, but ended up lying across the couch. "What are you all doing over here? You should be sleeping!" Gandalf barked in a hushed tone this time.

"They were looking for Paige." Thorin replied in a whisper, causing me to work real hard not to snort. _Of course_ Thorin was going to act like he wasn't apart of this. I could hear the confusion in Gandalf's voice when he asked, "What is she doing over here?" "Kíli thinks she accidentally fell asleep." Bilbo answered. The Wizard didn't say anything for a few moments. "Let's leave her to sleep in peace. I think she's had enough of Dwarves and Hobbits and Wizards for a night."

Several pairs of feet shuffled away, but I felt a presence next to me still. Kíli hadn't moved. He moved forward and I heard my bag being opened. I felt a soft fabric brush my leg as he pulled out my blanket and closed my bag. Kíli gently lifted my head up and put a pillow beneath my head. He pulled the blanket up to my shoulders, his hand stroking my hair. "Goodnight, Paige." he whispered.

A small smile made its way onto my face. They were so sweet it was ridiculous; what had I done to deserve such wonderful traveling companions and friends? I fell asleep for real quickly, the aches in my body dulling.


	16. 15- Breakfast at Beorn's

When morning came, I was woken by the sunlight shining in my eyes. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. From what I could tell by Dwarves' snoring, it was still early in the morning. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, seeing all my friends still asleep.

Being as quiet as I could, I tiptoed past all of the sleeping bodies, wondering where our host was. I crossed my arms and listened to the silence that was sometimes broken by snoring. And then I heard it. The sound of wood being cut. I knew the sound well because in the winter, back home, Peter always woke up at the crack of dawn to cut firewood, so when the rest of us woke up, the house would already be warm.

I smiled, blinking a few times to return to reality. Stealthily, I opened the door and snuck out. Though it was early, the weather was nice and temperate. I shrugged my jacket off and tied it around my waist. Ahead, a great, tall man stood at a tree stump, cutting firewood with a huge axe.

He wore only a pair of pants and boots, displaying the light brown hair-fur?-that grew down his back. Did I mention he was seven feet tall? Over seven feet tall at least. I bit my lip and watched him for a second, before squeaking, "Um, excuse me? Mr. Beorn, sir?" His head jerked to the side, his eyes narrowing at me. Beorn had large, bushy eyebrows that took up much of his forehead and made him look a bit more animalistic than human. "Hi...I didn't mean to interrupt." I said awkwardly, taking a step forward.

He grunted, putting his axe down. "And who might you be?" "I'm Paige Fawley, a Wizard." I replied, wringing my hands behind my back. He furrowed his eyebrows. "I've never heard of you." I shrugged, suddenly wishing that I had waited for Gandalf to introduce us all. There was a possibility that I was going to get myself ripped to shreds.

"I didn't expect you to. What if I told you I'm not from this world at all?" I asked, biting my lip. His confused expression grew more intense. "I would say that I do not find that possible." My lips twitched in amusement. "Trust me, I'm still as shocked as you. You see, I would've waited for the rest of my Company to wake up before greeting you, it's just...I wanted to ask you something privately."

Beorn raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what is your question, girl?" I rocked on my heels before asking, "Can you only Change into a Bear or can you become anything you want?" He frowned, causing me to become a little nervous. "I can only Change into a Bear. Why?" My shoulders sagged a bit, but I nodded.

"The reason why I ask is because...well, my mother's not a typical Wizard. You see, she has some extra abilities and one of them is that she can Change into any animal she wants when she wants. And when a member of my Company mentioned you were sometimes a great Bear, I wondered if it was possible that she was a Skin-Changer, too."

Beorn's expression suddenly held intrigue. "A Witch that can Change. Interesting...are you sure that it was no curse or spell laid upon her?" I nodded. "Positive." The Skin-Changer sat down on the tree stump, leaning on his axe. "I do not think your mother is a Skin-Changer like me, very similiar, but not the same. She must be a very powerful Witch, no?"

I nodded. "Very powerful, and good. Very good." I smiled fondly at the thought of her. Beorn cocked his head, watching me curiously. "I believe you when you say that you're from another world. I have never met a Human girl, or a Witch, like you before." I nodded, snorting. "I've gotten that a lot." A small smile made its way onto the man's face.

I noticed an iron cuff around his wrist and frowned. My eyes drifted to a few scars residing on his stomach. "Who did this to you?" I saw anger flash in his eyes, relief flowing through me when I realized that it wasn't directed at me. "Orcs." My nostrils flared. "Filthy creatures. You see, that's part of the reason why my friends and I are here. We're being hunted by an Orc pack led by Azog the Defiler. I think I'll spare you the details and wait until my friends are awake."

"You travel with other Humans?" I winced, remembering that Gandalf mentioned that Beorn was not fond of Dwarves. "Another Wizard. And a few others..." Beorn gave me a look. "What kind of campanions? How many?" I bit my lip, not really wanting to answer. "A few, good people is all you need to know right now." He scowled at me when the door was suddenly flung open.

I whipped around to see Fíli, Kíli, and the others running out the door. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Beorn tense, raising his axe. Kíli raced forward, bellowing my name. "PAIGE!" He pulled me behind him, backing away slowly from the Skin-Changer, who watched Kíli with some resent. I tried to get around him, but he held me back with one arm. "Kíli, what are you doing? He's not going to hurt me!" I exclaimed.

When we were by the door with the others, Gandalf stepped forward and started to scold me. "Paige Fawley, what on earth were you thinking? You should have more sense than to approach a stranger who could potentially rip you to shreds! He could've killed you on the spot!" I scowled and shrugged Kíli's hand off my arm.

"Thank you for the concern, Gandalf, but I was fine! First of all, I was about to ease him into the idea of us being a large party and majority of us were _Dwarves_ when you all came barging in and ruin everything! Second, I can take care of myself. And thirdly, we were having a very nice conversation. Beorn's a very nice man." I retorted.

Dwalin scoffed. "I'm sure he is just wonderful when he's not a ginormous Bear who, if you forgot, almost killed us last night!" Kíli stared at me with pursed lips. "You scared us half to death, Paige. We'd thought you'd been taken by Orcs." He drew me into his arms, squeezing me tight. I sighed, knowing that they meant well. I hugged him back, consoling, "I'm alright, Kíli. Really. But don't be quick to judge Beorn, he's misunderstood."

Thorin raised an eyebrow. "And how long have you been talking to your new best friend?" I shrugged. "Twenty, thirty minutes max?" He snorted. "Paige Fawley, may I have a word please? _Alone_." Beorn called, looking none too happy. I squeezed Fíli's shoulder as I walked away from my friends and to our host.

"Yes...?" I said meekly. His nostrils flared as he looked from the Company to me. "Your idea of 'few' is _fifteen_ companions? Whom most of which are _Dwarves_? I'm not overly fond of Dwarves, Miss Paige." I winced. "Beorn, I know it's startling and I'm sorry for scaring you. I was going to ease you into it, trust me, but these idiots had other ideas." I rolled my eyes, rubbing my temple.

A small smile made it's way onto the Skin-Changer's face. "You say they're good people? I'll trust your judgement. I like you, Paige; I have not been able to connect with someone in many years." I smiled, nodding my head. "Thank you, Beorn." Together, we made our way back to the Company, Beorn's knuckles tightening around his axe a bit.

"Beorn, these are my friends. Dwalin, Balin, Óin, Glóin, Fíli, Kíli, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Ori, Nori, Dori, Bilbo, Gandalf, and our leader, Thorin Oakenshield. Friends, this is Beorn." I introduced. Beorn's eyes scanned around each person, falling to Bilbo. "He is no Dwarf. What is he?" he asked me. "Bilbo is a Hobbit, from the Shire." My new friend nodded. "A Halfling."

His eyes fell next to Gandalf. "Are you a Wizard?" Gandalf bowed his head, looking a bit nervous. "Yes, I am Gandalf. Gandalf the Gray." Beorn nodded, his eyes finally falling to Thorin. He didn't say anything, but I could tell that he was going to say something later. Beorn walked to the door, calling, "Come, you must be hungry."

I saw appeal light the Dwarves' and Bilbo's, particularly Bilbo's, eyes up as they followed him back to the house. Gandalf stared at me for a moment, impressed. "Well done. Recklessly and stupidly, but well done." A smile crept up my face. I looked over at Kíli, who looked a bit put out. I nudged him as we walked back to the house, falling into step with him. "Hey, you alright?" He nodded, smiling slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes, which held disappointment. "Yes, I'm fine." I frowned, seeing the blatant lie.

As we re-entered the house, Beorn had us all sit around the dining table, cooking us breakfast. Thorin and Gandalf took turns telling him about our quest and what we've faced so far. When they were done, I asked, "Are you sure you don't need any help, Beorn? With anything? You've already done so much for us." The Skin-Changer shot me a look. "For the third time, Miss Fawley, the answer is no."

Beorn took a pitcher and went around the table, pouring hot milk into mug for each of us. The mugs were huge for the Dwarves and Bilbo, it looked like they were all drinking beer at breakfast. As he filled Fíli's mug, he addressed Thorin. "So you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

Thorin's face fell a bit. "You know of Azog? How?" He looked as if he felt stupid, like he had been the only one who didn't know that Azog was alive. "My people were the first to live in the mountains, before the Orcs came down from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved. Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging Skin-Changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him."

I looked down at the cuff on his wrist. "I'm sorry, Beorn." He half-smiled at me. "Do not apologize, Miss Fawley. You did not do anything wrong." Bilbo suddenly popped into the conversation, asking, "There are others like you?" Beorn's shoulders tightened as he replied, "Once, there were many."

"And now?" Bilbo questioned. The Skin-Changer had a distant look in his eyes. "Now, there is only one." We sat in silence for a bit, before I asked, "It's possible that I could get that cuff off your wrist, Beorn." He shook his head. "I do not wish it to come off. It reminds me what I have lost because of the Orcs."

He changed the subject, back to business. "You need to reach the Mountain before the last days of autumn?" Gandalf nodded. "Before Durin's Day falls, yes." He pursed his lips. "You are running out of time." Gandalf nodded again. "Which is why we must go through Mirkwood." I looked over at Thorin, who tried to hide his disdained expression. I knew that expression very well by now. It was his "Ugh, Elves" look.

Beorn's facial expression grew dark. "A darkness lies upon that forest. Fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need." I tensed. _Necromancer?_ I didn't know what Dol Guldur was, but I knew what a necromancer was. Gandalf shrugged. "We will take the Elven Road. That path is still safe." Beorn still looked doubtful. "Safe? The Wood-Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not."

Thorin's expression grew concerned. "What do you mean?" "These lands are crawling with Orcs. Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive." Beorn explained, his points very true. Beorn stood up from the table and walked around its perimeter. "I don't like Dwarves. They're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own."

Beorn picked up a tiny mouse that had been scampering its way across the table, only to be shoved away by Dwalin. At first, I thought he was going to crush it in his fist, but he gently set it down on the table. "But Orcs I hate more. What do you need?" Beorn suddenly said.


End file.
